Who is Caden?
At 18 weeks gestational age, Caden was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. HLHS is a condition where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. His family was prepared for many surgeries, doctor visits, and hospital stays during his life. On April 4, 2016, Caden was born and we discovered that his heart condition was more complex than previously thought. He had a very severe form of HLHS and was also diagnosed with Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venus Return (TAPVR.) On April 8, Caden went in to surgery to try to reroute his pulmonary veins and was deemed inoperable because the severity of his condition. He passed away that evening. During his short time with us Caden brought us so much happiness and taught us so much about strength, love, and life. He continues to touch many with his story of faith and unconditional love.
What do we do?
We at Joy For Caden, Inc. are dedicated to choosing joy and seeing the beauty in life in his memory. Even though his diagnosis and loss was not what we hoped for, he made our lives immeasurably more beautiful. CHD is the number one cause of infant death, but, before Caden, we knew very little about it. It was a scary time for us, but connecting with other families who understood and could offer hope was a huge help to us. So, that is what we set out to do. It is our mission to raise awareness and bring a little light and happiness to families battling these terrible diseases. Through donations and fundraisers, we provide support to prenatally diagnosed families and sponsor those with heart warriors in need of assistance.
We connect with families to offer advice and a shoulder to lean on. We share our journey and the journeys of other CHD families to provide resources and comfort to newly diagnosed families. We send Joy Bags to families who are prenatally diagnosed filled with items to bring joy into a scary time and celebrate their precious warrior. We raise awareness of CHD through social media and events. BUT most of all, we love, support, and care <3
Every day we choose joy. Every day we spread love. Every day we fight to be #CadenStrong <3
What is the #ichoosejoyproject?
The #ichoosejoy Project is a branch of Joy for Caden, Inc in which we send Joy Bags to prenatally diagnosed families. This is where it all began...with a binder and a dream to leave a legacy for Caden. Caden's parents used his medical binder to collect moments from pregnancy and his life of doctors, hospitals, and consultations. They journaled, asked questions, and gathered information and pictures in it. It became a source of comfort and a piece of control in a whirlwind of confusion. Because of it's usefullness to them, we wanted to get them into the hands of as many prenatally diagnosed families as possible as early as possible.
We brainstormed the best way and came up with Joy Bags to carry them in throughout the CHD journey. Through donations, these bags have expanded from just binders to becoming full of handmade items, comfort items for parents, blankets, lovies, toys for siblings, and more. Anything that could bring a little comfort and joy to a family is welcomed and included.
Hundreds have gone across the country and into the arms of heart warriors and their families. It's a beautiful piece of Caden's joy spread far and wide.
If you or someone you know is expecting a heart warrior, we'd love to connect. You can also request a bag by clicking below.
