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

Meet Keaton Kiddo ~ Kyle

Meet Keaton super kiddo Kyle! Kyle is 16 years old and enjoys playing on his Nintendo switch. He also likes Star Wars, Disneyland, Mario series and Harry Potter. Kyle was first diagnosis with Pilocytic astrocytoma, a slow-growing tumor of the brain or spinal cord, when he was just 3 1/2 years old. After being in remission for 5 years, Kyle and his family found out in April of this year the devastating news that Kyle once again has a brain tumor.

Following his diagnosis, Kyle’s chemo treatment has unfortunately impacted his gross motor functioning and he is now using a power wheelchair to get around. Despite these challenges, Kyle remains a fighter, a strong young man and a warrior. As he endures his battle against childhood cancer for the second time, Kyle’s mom and sister continue to be a huge support for him. With an hour and a half commute, round trip, for his weekly treatments, mom ensures that Kyle gets to his appointments and receives all of the care he needs.

During a recent visit to a local partnering hospital, our Keaton’s Family Navigator Team was able to meet Kyle and his mom to hand-deliver their family’s Hope Chest and a gas card to support with their long commute back home. After meeting with them, Mom shared these wonderful photos of Kyle with the gifts from the Hope Chest along with his favorite quote: “Secretly hoping Cancer gives me superpowers.”

You are not in this fight alone Kyle!

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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