Vancouver Island boy with cancer who fought to raise awareness about brain tumours has died

Vancouver Island boy with cancer who fought to raise awareness about brain tumours has died
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Photo/VicPD – Chief Del Manak and “Chief for a Day” Kaiden Finley

An 11-year-old Parksville boy with brain cancer who fought to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of brain tumours has died.

Kaiden Finley passed away on March 21st.

“No eleven year should have experienced the pain and agony he has endured. Life isn’t fair,” his aunt Tanya wrote.

Alli Roberts who’d ridden for Kaiden in the 2018 Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock wrote,

“Today cancer stole one of my favourite humans on the planet. Kaiden- I will always be your rider and your friend and I will stand up and share your story…even when it’s hard…you have my word.”

Kaiden Finley

Kaiden’s mother Tasha first noticed something could be wrong in March of 2017, that May a CT scan revealed  a large tumour on the back of his head.

The boy underwent surgery to remove the growth followed by 6-weeks of high dose radiation.

The following May, Kaiden took part in the annual Victoria Brain Tumour Awareness Walk as part of Kaiden’s Kape Krusaders.

An article published on the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada’s website titled Kaiden and Tasha’s story, for awareness, recalls that day “Kaiden proudly wearing his superhero cape as well as the blue t-shirt that brain tumour survivors wear.”

But by September of 2018, the cancer had returned.

“Kaiden had six new tumours two in his neck/brain stem & down the spine,” the article reads.

“They were told that there were no more treatment options, due to the high levels of radiation that Kaiden had already received and the placement of the new tumours.”

Undaunted, Kaiden and Tasha continued their quest raise awareness about brain tumours and the annual walk coming up in late May.

On January 16th, 2019, Kaiden was sworn in as VicPD’s “Chief for a day” with Chief Del Manak calling him the “youngest and best Chief ever!”

Soon after, his condition worsened and by late February he was no long able to walk or feed himself.

He died on March 21st.

A month earlier, his mother Tasha told to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada,

“You don’t realise until it affects you. It’s not just the patient that’s affected, it’s everyone, parents, siblings, family, friends. We need to raise awareness so that no-one else has to go through this.”

Kaden’s Kape Krusaders have already raised $1825 for this year’s Brain Tumour Walk in Victoria, you can find more infomation here

 

Photo/VicPD

Ben O'HaraBen O'Hara

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