Keaton’s Kiddos

During the week of July 17th, 2023, Yazmine hadn’t been herself.  She’d been running fevers on and off and wasn’t eating.  She had no energy and only wanted to sleep.  Then, on July 19th, her dad’s birthday, we decided that I would take her to the ER for a quick check up and be back in time to make a birthday dinner.  Little did we know everything would change on that day.  

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.”

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.

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.

Strong and optimistic Keaton’s Kiddo Pedro has a heart for soccer and music, and he absolutely loves Chick-Fil-A! Being a teen at just 14 years old, Pedro was sadly diagnosed with a brain tumor called Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma. Hear about Pedro’s journey from his point of view.

Keaton’s kiddo Blossom is a sweet and sassy 4-year-old who loves slime and all things girly! Her childhood cancer journey began when she was just two years old, diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.

Keaton kiddo Nolan is a sweet 7-year-old who loves to swim, play with RC trucks, and play video games. On June 27, 2023, Nolan was diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoma, a type of cancer that occurs when healthy B-Cells form in rapid growing cancer cells.

Keaton’s Kiddo Lilyana is a sweet and loving 4-year-old who enjoys spending time outdoors, doing arts & crafts, and playing with her LOL Dolls and number blocks. In May of 2023, just a couple of months after her 4th birthday, Lilyana and her family’s life was forever changed when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, the second most common form of pediatric blood cancer found in children.