JAYDEN'S STORY

Jayden Newman was 3 years old when he began complaining of stomach pain and seemed lethargic. His parents took him to the ER, where he was diagnosed with constipation and sent home with medicine. The next day his father noticed that he was having difficulty walking, so they brought him back in. This time the doctors thought it might be a staph or viral infection. Jayden's mom Joanna said that she kept going back to the doctor because,  "As a parent, you just know when something is wrong." After several trips to different doctors and different diagnoses, it was determined that Jayden had Stage IV Neuroblastoma.

Wendy with Emily's Power for a Cure stepped in almost immediately to help walk the Newmans through the cancer process and to set up meals for the family, which Joanna said helped out so much.

After 6 months of chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, antibody treatment (the first of its kind in Chattanooga), Jayden was determined to be in remission. He was able to take a trip to Disney, courtesy of Make a Wish, and Joanna said his favorite moment of all time was dipping his toes in the ocean at Melbourne Beach. Unfortunately, Jayden relapsed and went to Cincinnati for MIGB treatment, which was not successful in fighting the new reoccurrence of cancer. Jayden earned his angel wings just before his 6th birthday.