It is our privilege to highlight Bone Marrow Transplant recipient Hayden. His mother, Heather, wrote best in her words to offer hope to other families just beginning their own journey.
"My son, Hayden, was diagnosed with AML on January 22, 2019. We were told immediately that he would have to have a bone marrow transplant. He is the youngest of 3, but his siblings were not a match, so he was placed into the national database for a possible match. He spent the last half of his 7th-grade year 200 miles away from his siblings and friends, undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for a transplant. They found a 10 out of 10 match through an unrelated donor. On April 23, 2019, 6 days after his 13th birthday, he had his bone marrow transplant.
On August 8, 2019, we finally got to go home, but he was not allowed to start school with the rest of his class. Hayden has always been extremely involved in sports and was worried about not being able to play in his 8th-grade year. He was released to go back to school on October 14, 2019, and that night, he played in the school's first basketball game of the season.
Hayden just started his senior year. He is the 1st baseman for his varsity baseball team. The chemotherapy did cause osteonecrosis of both femur, which has since been treated, but otherwise, he has no lasting complications from the transplant and no restrictions because of it. He's as healthy and active as the rest of his classmates."
Everyone at Transplant Families is rooting for Hayden for his senior year and beyond! A big thank you to Hayden and Heather for offering us hope.
If you would like your child highlighted and to bring hope to others, please reach out to hello@transplantfamilies.org.