Kaiden was born December 20, 2006. He was my beautiful blue eye, blond hair angel. He was the best baby any parents could ask for. He smiled constantly and barely cried. I would tell my Mother all the time that he was my "special little man". I didn't know until much later how true my words really were.

..Kaiden was developing a little slower.....

Around 6 months we began to notice that Kaiden was developing a little slower than our daughter did but didn't worry much about it because we were told that boys develop slower than girls. Around 9 months we took Kaiden for a check-up and that's when the doctor became concerned as well. She sent us to a larger hospital where they conducted several tests including an MRI, EEG, Blood work, and of course an eyeCole photo exam. We were contacted a few weeks later and told the news that changed our lives forever. Our hearts broke, calling all of our family and having to say "our son has Tay-Sachs," was one of the hardest things we've ever had to do. Especially since no one had any idea what that disease was we had to explain that we only had a limited amount of time with our baby. And that he would probably die around the ages of 2-4 years old.

Kaiden has brought awareness......

Kaiden has brought awareness to so many people that didn't even know that a disease like this could and does exist.

Everyday is hard, but we go through it trying to make the most of every single moment and we now take nothing for granted! Kaiden is our angel, and we will hold him close and as tight to us as long as the Lord allows us to. We pray for the day that we hear that a cure has been found.

by Kristian Johnston

• Email: kristianjohnston12@yahoo.com

For more information and updates, please visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/kaidenlear .