NORFOLK, Va — After a previous bone marrow match didn't work out a Chesapeake family, a health and wellness expo wanted to help find a new one.
On the surface, Cayden Addison is an energetic eight-year-old, but on the inside, he's been battling blood cancer since 2020.
His family told News 3 that he's been a trooper.
"We're fortunate that he's so resilient and able to push through but it's a huge curveball that no parent is ever expecting," said Courtney and Darryl Addison, Cayden's mom and dad.
The family says it's been tough.
"I think of the fact of hospital stays and just having his childhood taken away from him to a certain degree," said Addison.
The Addisons say that losing their previous bone marrow match has been a step backward.
"A couple of months after we found out we had a donor we found out that he was no longer available or they were no longer available," said Addison.
Inside the Scope Arena, members of the public attended a vegan health and wellness expo lined up to see if they could be a match.
Tree Kelty the organizer says it was a pretty simple test
"It is so simple you go over there they swab the inside of your mouth you put it in a little envelope and you hear back if you matched," explained Kelty.
After hearing about the Addisons she said she wanted to help and she knew others in the community would want to too.
"To hear that he had a match lost it and didn't know what happened seven years old no child needs to go through that, so if we can help just a little bit that is what we are here to do," said Kelty.
To find out if you're a match for Cayden, click the link hereto get tested.
