Bone marrow registration event for a 7-year-old boy with leukemia

RICHMOND, Va. — Efforts to help a Chesapeake boy win his battle against cancer are going beyond Hampton Roads. Over the weekend, a community in Richmond came together to support 7-year-old Cayden Addison, who is still seeking a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

Cayden has been battling leukemia since 2020 and has yet to find a match.

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Dozens of people came to the free event to register to see if they could help the Addison family. They do not give up hope of finding a match.

“He has his whole life ahead of him and he deserves the best life,” said his mother, Courtney Addison. “So if we can do that, that would mean the most to my family.”

If you want to help, you can be signed up to the national bone marrow registry by ordering a free test kit by mail from the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).

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Registering as a possible bone marrow donor could help Cayden and thousands of others across the country. However, organizers encourage those considering donating to do their research and make sure it’s right for them.

“This is a huge decision. But it’s a huge decision that can save someone’s life and be the cure for cancer,” NDMP’s Rayshawn Graves previously told 13News Now.

It takes four to six weeks to receive the results from the test swab. NDMP will notify people who are matched with donors, otherwise donors will be placed on a list to help future patients.

People considering donating must be 18 years of age or older.