CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — The family of a Chesapeake first-grader is looking for someone to save his life.
Kayden Addison was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia when he was three years old. After two years of chemotherapy, his nightmare seemed to be over, but it returned in January 2023.
“You know, he’s a police officer,” said his mother, Courtney Addison. “Kayden’s a tough kid. He’s a lot tougher than me.”
Kayden endured further chemotherapy and a new gene therapy called CAR T cells in 2023, but nothing worked.
Kayden will someday need a bone marrow transplant, his mother said, and because he is African American, finding a mate may be more difficult.
“In the past, that has been very difficult, especially for patients of African American ancestry,” said Kate McDermott, a spokeswoman for the NMDP. “[They] Typically, the probability of finding that match is 29%. ”
NMDP, formerly known as the National Bone Marrow Donor Program and Be the Match, operates the most diverse bone marrow registry in the world.
“It’s so easy that you can register online,” McDermott said. “We’ll mail you a swab kit with a long cotton swab-like swab. You swab the inside of your cheek, put it in an envelope, and mail it to us. It’s all free.”
Blood stem cell donation is similar to platelet donation. Bone marrow donation is performed through surgery. Often these transplants are a person’s only hope.
“So for me, it’s really about raising awareness and facing the need for more people to register. It’s not just for my son,” Addison said. “…Of course I want to find someone to marry Kayden, but her mother shouldn’t have to go through this. No child should have to sit there and wait until they find someone. ”
If you are interested in becoming a donor or would like to learn more about the process, click here. You can also text caydencfc to 61474.
