Jayden is a 16-year-old boy from Long Island who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a type of blood and bone marrow cancer, in January 2021. Jayden was treated and then relapsed in March of 2022 and was given a bone marrow transplant. Jayden’s eyes were damaged by Graft-Versus-Host Disease, a side-effect of the transplant. His family was paired with Friends of Karen social worker Marla who has provided emotional and psychosocial support and arranged for the family to get our help with illness-related and basic living expenses including housing assistance, and car payments and the cost of travel to the hospital for treatment. Jayden’s parents, Jose and Mary, are deeply grateful for the unwavering support they’ve received. Jose recently shared with Marla, “Without Friends of Karen, we would have had to sell our house,” underscoring the life-changing impact Friends of Karen has had on their lives during such a difficult time.
