Before November 2023, 10-year-old Kayden was a healthy, active boy who loved football and spending time with his brother and sisters.
When Kayden started complaining of headaches, Lizzie wasn’t overly worried at first. The GP asked questions, carried out blood tests and advised the family to keep a diary of his pain.
But over time, Kayden’s headaches became more frequent and severe, the vomiting started. Despite multiple visits to the GP, Lizzie felt no closer to getting answers.
“I felt in my gut something was very wrong”.
In August 2024, Lizzie noticed Kayden’s eyes looked different after a day out at Thorpe Park.
“They seemed enlarged and were drifting slightly. I thought it might be a lazy eye, so I booked an urgent appointment with the optician.”
A shock discovery
The optician carried out scans and said he was making an urgent referral because he could see pressure coming from the back of Kayden’s head.
“Before we had even got home, the hospital rang and told us to come in immediately.”
Kayden was sent to paediatrics and then for an MRI scan at Bedford Hospital. Soon after, Lizzie and her family were called into a room with several staff members and told it was a brain tumour.
“I felt like the ground had gone from under us.”
Kayden was urgently transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital for surgery. The first operation relieved the pressure and drained fluid from his brain, but he later needed a second operation to remove part of the tumour and take biopsies. During that surgery, Kayden suffered a stroke, which led to paralysis and major sight impairment.
Wrapped in care
The months that followed were incredibly tough for the whole family. Kayden had proton beam therapy every weekday, finishing just four days before Christmas 2024.
“We love Christmas as a family, but that year it didn’t feel like Christmas at all,” says Lizzie. “We put the tree up but took it down again on Boxing Day. We had a hospital bed and a commode in our living room, and our home no longer felt like home.”
In January 2025, Kayden’s treatment started again and continued for another year. Throughout it all, “Keech Hospice became a huge support for our whole family.”
Kayden accessed Keech’s day care, music therapy and children’s groups, giving him opportunities to have fun, build confidence and spend time with other children. For Lizzie and the rest of the family, Keech became a place they could turn to.
“Keech gave us moments of calm when everything else felt overwhelming,” says Lizzie. “It was somewhere we could simply be a family, knowing we were understood and supported.”
Kayden’s dream came true just before Christmas 2025, when players from Luton Town FC visited Keech. Kayden met the team and was later invited to be their mascot.
“He was absolutely over the moon,” says Lizzie. “Seeing him walk out onto the pitch after everything he’d been through was something I’ll never forget.”
The family also met optician Aubaid Aftar at the match and were able to thank him for acting so quickly. “His actions saved Kayden’s life.”
Looking ahead
Kayden is still on his recovery journey and continues to receive support. After long periods of treatment, including chemotherapy, he is now cancer free and undergoing rehabilitation, working on his mobility and daily function.
“He’s resilient, determined and still full of character,” says Lizzie.
“It’s the first Christmas in a long time that we’ll be able to enjoy together without treatment hanging over us. We won’t take those moments for granted.”
Reflecting on their journey, Lizzie says: “Keech has been a place of calm in the midst of chaos. When everything felt uncertain, they were steady, kind and supportive. Not just for Kayden, but for all of us. They wrapped our whole family in care when we needed it most, and for that I’ll always be grateful.”
