GoFundMe started for Cape Coral police officers after daughter diagnosed with leukemia
A happy-go-lucky toddler with a love of ice cream started bruising easily, and her parents noticed she was looking quite pale.
Within two days of a doctor's visit this week, Kelsey Meadows, 33, and Nicholas Bezanson, 31, Cape Coral police officers, upended their lives by staying in a Fort Myers hospital, in the fight for the life of 2-year-old Hayden Bezanson, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and blood.
Doctors went to work: Hayden had a bone marrow procedure, blood infusions, a central line placement procedure, and started chemotherapy in the next 48 hours.
"Devastating, I mean to see my pride and joy, especially because she doesn't know what's going on, she's still in good spirits and happy-go-lucky, just the way she always is for the most part," Bezanson said. "She has no idea what's going on, and we've been hiding our emotions because we don't want her to see us in a place like that."
Kayla Hearl, a fellow police officer, set up a GoFundMe for the family, looking to raise $100,000 to cover the child's chemo sessions and recovery. Within the first three days, the community raised more than $43,000.
Bezanson, a Marine veteran, grew up in Cape Coral and graduated from Ida Baker High School, and he's been with the Cape Coral police department since February 2020. Hearl has been a police officer for the department since 2015.
On August 14, Meadows and Bezanson took their daughter to a doctor for a blood test after noticing she was bruising easily.
Hayden was admitted to Golisano Children's Hospital in Fort Myers soon after where staff confirmed the diagnosis. Over the next two days, she was awash in tubes and needles.
"Wednesday morning, first thing, she was placed under anesthesia to get a spinal tap and some chemo injected into her spine and as well as a port on her chest, which is going to be the permanent place for the next two and half years," Bezanson said.
"Those two days have been exhausting, to say the least," he added.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children and occurs when a bone marrow cell develops changes in its genetic material or DNA and leads to immature cells that develop into leukemic white blood cells called lymphoblastic, which cannot function properly, according to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
About 3,000 people younger than 20 are found to have acute lymphocytic leukemia each year in the United States.
The 5-year survival rate for children with acute lymphocytic leukemia is about 90%, according to the American Cancer Society.
Golisano Children's Hospital treated 64 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia and treated between 90-95% of patients diagnosed with Lee Health. This year so far, they’ve treated 27.
Bezanson said Hayden finally relaxed Thursday and even had chocolate ice cream after receiving her first round of chemo Wednesday.
Both officers are running out of paid time off and will soon need to return to work, Hearl wrote.
They plan to stay with their daughter at the hospital through the next week.
The money will be used for housing, food, transportation to chemo sessions, medical supplies, medication, and childcare.
"We are hopeful in Hayden’s recovery, but they have a long road ahead,' Hearl wrote in the description.
Bezanson said he's grateful for the overwhelming support the community has shown for his family.
"We truly can't use words to express how thankful we are honestly," Bezanson said. "It makes you realize how many friends and family are truly behind you when things happen."
Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral officers seeking help for daughter diagnosed with Leukemia
