Kadens cancer battle has come to a head. Even though his battle has been an inspirational and awe inspiring fight. It appears that cancer has taken control. Kaden and his family have been an amazing story when you really step back and look at it. This (now 5 year old) kid has touched so many lives, he’s been so strong and up beat. Every week someone asks me how he’s doing. As he and his family take on the final phase of this disease, please keep them in your hearts and prayers.
Please read his mom’s last post.
Cancer is a BEAST!
Written 1 hour ago
I was really hoping to write today and tell everyone that Kaden’s lungs are clear and that he is on the road to being cancer-free but instead I have the complete opposite to relay. As you know Kaden has been experiencing intense back pain for the last week. As a result the doctors moved his CT scan and MRI up to this week. Yesterday morning Kaden had a chest CT and we met with Dr. Rodriguez to discuss the results. The look on her face was very telling from the minute she walked in the door so we knew that we were going to hear that the cancer was back. What we weren’t expecting was the severity of it. Both of Kaden’s lungs are loaded with tumors…pea-size to walnut-size. In just 3 months the cancer has literally exploded throughout his lungs. There are too many tumors to count and they are inoperable.
Dr. Arndt also met with us yesterday and she ordered another CT of his entire spine. We have found the source of his back pain. He has a fracture on his T8 vertebrae as a result of a new tumor there (T8 is near the middle of your back). There have been two times in Kaden’s life that he has ever complained of pain…once in his leg and now in his back…both because of cancer. It also appears that the high dose radiation did not work on the tumor in Kaden’s sacrum. In addition the cancer has moved to his mediastinum (blood vessels on top of the heart).
Based on all of this, it is with deep sorrow and heartache that I have to say that cancer has won. There is nothing more we can do and unfortunately Kaden may only have a few months to live. Kaden was admitted to the hospital yesterday in order to get his pain under control. He is on IV morphine and that is doing a great job controlling the pain. We will be here for another day or two until they decide what the pain med regimen will be.
Kaden got a good night sleep for the first time in a week and Logan and I managed to sleep as well. But the minute we woke up the tears began to flow again. We are simply devastated to know that we only have a short time left with our son. We will be moving Kaden’s Make-A-Wish trip up because he still wants to go. It may happen as soon as next week.
Last night Kaden got a visit from Shanna, Sherrie and Jack Decker. Kaden put Shanna through her paces and I think they rode up and down the hall about 50 times…it may have been more. Every time he passed our room he said, “Hi Momma!” He was having fun 
He is eating great and joking around as usual. He even brought out the hospital laugh last night and he was teasing me just like he and Daddy always do.
This morning he tapped Logan on the back and asked him to cuddle. Of course Logan started crying and Kaden patted him on the head and said, “it’s ok”. Once again, Kaden’s strength is comforting us. He looks so good that it’s hard to believe that his body is being ravaged by cancer. What started out last September as “this is treatable and curable” has turned, all too quickly into “there is nothing more we can do other than keep him comfortable”. This just isn’t what we expected this soon….EVER!
I am stepping away from teaching for the rest of the semester and Logan will most likely do the same. We are going to spend every moment we can with our son and enjoy every minute that we can…as hard as it’s going to be we need to continue to let Kaden be Kaden and live the life of a 5-year old as long as he can.
There are no words that we expect to hear from all of you…we don’t even have the words right now. We simply appreciate your continued support and prayers.
I won’t leave home without my lucky hat lil buddy ! Praying for you !!!!
