Hope, Strength, and Healing for families coping with a child cancer diagnosis

Meet Keaton Kiddo ~ Jayvon

Meet 16-year-old Keaton Kiddo Jayvon, who also likes to be called Jay Money! Aside from his super cool nickname, there is so much more to Jayvon’s spirited personality. He finds joy in comic books, video games, building Lego sets, and reading.

Jayvon was sadly diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, a rare tumor of the head and neck, on July 28, 2021. Despite his diagnosis, Keaton’s Family Navigators were happy to see Jayvon’s bright personality shine through when delivering a personalized Hope Chest to him and his family. Since his journey has begun, Keaton’s was also able to provide Jayvon and his loved ones with a financial grant to support their commutes to treatment and any other unexpected expenses that can come with a childhood cancer diagnosis.

Like many of our families, Jayvon has experienced the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cancer diagnosis can be isolating as is, but with the pandemic taking place, his family has had to adjust to a more isolated lifestyle due to Jayvon’s immune system being compromised. He has four younger siblings who are currently unable to stay in the household to protect him.

Luckily, Jayvon’s siblings can visit with him at times so that everyone can bond together and create memories, but they are unfortunately not experiencing the same family dynamic as before the cancer diagnosis. This goes to show that pediatric cancer affects the entire family. The Keaton’s team feels honored to provide any emotional support we can while this family overcomes this obstacle in their journey.

As Jayvon and his family navigate their way through this cancer diagnosis, please send them all the best wishes!

Meet Keaton’s Kiddo – Kodiak

In the Fall of 2023, Keaton’s Kiddo Kodiak was diagnosed with two rare and aggressive forms of cancer: Mixed Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) also known as ‘preleukemia.’

Their journey began one year earlier, in the Fall of 2022, when Kodiak was struck with a series of different seasonal illnesses. Kodiak’s mom Tonya shares: “In September, he got COVID, and then in November it was the flu, and then December RSV.”

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Meet Keaton’s Kiddo – Ellora

Months before a clear diagnosis, Ellora was experiencing a loss of appetite, night sweats, and oversleeping. For Ellora, these symptoms were seen as normal for her or seen as natural changes in the growth of a 2-year-old. Eventually, she developed little spots on her hands and unexplained bruises on her body, which the doctors deemed Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), but after seeing an informative TikTok video on the symptoms Ellora was experiencing, her mom’s gut told her it was something more than a bleeding disorder.

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Meet Keaton’s Kiddo – Samerah

14-year-old Samerah, best known as Sam has been battling quite the challenging journey, but with the love and support of her family, friends, and community she has been able to overcome so much. At the very young age of 2 months old, Sam was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis. Neurofibromatosis is not an isolated disorder. It causes several different conditions and can lead to the development of tumors on the brain, spine, and the nerves that send signals between the brain and spinal cord.

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