Jayden was born April 6, 2010 at Montgomery General Hospital. Since his birth, he has been such a sweet and patient bundle of joy. When Jayden was about six weeks old he began having some sinus issues, causing some trouble swallowing, as with many infants. The doctors diagnosed him with a blockage in one of his sinuses. So, the process of scheduling an appointment with an ENT specialist began. Within two weeks, Jayden began having some trouble breathing. We took him to the local Emergency Room for treatment. After being told that his blood levels were off, the ER doctors made arrangements for him to be transferred to Children's National Medical Center in D.C. Once we got to Children's, many tests were performed. By the next morning, we were told that Jayden had leukemia. The doctors performed a few more tests to confirm which type of leukemia Jayden had. At only two months old, Jayden was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelogenous or Myeloid Leukemia). We are told that he is one of the youngest children to be diagnosed with this type of leukemia. Jayden's chemotherapy has already been started and will continue for approximately six months. On a regular basis, Jayden will have several tests performed to determine the effectiveness of the chemotherapy.


With Jayden being so ill, he is in need of frequent blood and platelet transfusions. During this process we have discovered that Jayden's blood type is B-. One in 67 people have this blood type, which is only 1.7% of the population. Little did we know that Children's uses only blood and platelets from donations to their facilities if at all possible. And, apparently, they are in need of blood and platelets, not just Jayden's type, but all types. We know the hospital will do whatever it takes to help Jayden.

Jayden is facing a tough battle. When he makes it home, there are many things that we will have to do to make his environment safe so he can stay healthy. We are hoping and praying that during the next six months, Jayden will be healthy enough to be able to come home, even if only for a short period of time.