This year brought about many changes and challenges alike Easton. For starters he turned five years old, began kindergarten, learned to swim AND ride his bike! To share a bit about Easton’s personality, he is empathetic, sweet, smart, inquisitive, and is always ready to lend a hand. He enjoys the challenge of solving puzzles, helping mom in the kitchen, drawing & making crafts, gardening, picnics, exploring outdoors, and has an amazing rock and fossil collection. As Easton grows so does his imagination. He has become a master fort builder, capable of turning cardboard boxes into elaborate works of art. When he’s not busy with schoolwork, being Mommy’s sous chef, helping his daddy around the house, or constructing castles from cardboard, he somehow finds the time to protect the universe dressed as one of many of his favorite superheros together with his brother Elijah as his faithful sidekick! Wherever Easton goes, Elijah can be found two steps behind imitating his every move! Their bond is like no other, together they are an amazing duo! 

Easton was born with a smaller thumb on his right hand than that on his left. In December of 2020 he was evaluated by a specialist who diagnosed this as Thumb Hypoplasia, and corrective surgery was recommended. The day of Easton’s surgery he sat in the hospital with his mom prepped, and ready to brave the operation, but something just didn’t feel right; mothers intuition took over, and mom decided to postpone the surgery. Which would turn out to be a blessing in disguise in the weeks to come as they would discover his thumb abnormality was a symptom of a much more serious condition. A short time thereafter, the family came down with cold/flu-like symptoms. As each day passed everyone seemed to be getting better, except Easton, who began having difficulty breathing, experienced uncontrollable fevers, and extreme fatigue. In the middle of the night, his father rushed him to a nearby emergency room overflowing with patients waiting to be seen in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Desperate for help, and unable to wait he cradled his son in his arms, and ran across the street to another emergency room where Easton was rushed by ambulance and immediately admitted into Phoenix Children’s Hospital. He underwent a series of tests which were sent to expert medical teams across the country for evaluation. Bloodwork determined he had critically low blood counts, however, they didn’t know why. Easton had always been a very active, happy, healthy little boy. He had never been this ill. 

The test results arrived and were devastating, Easton was diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia (FA), a rare genetic blood disorder. Fanconi Anemia is a life-threatening blood disorder, and only approx 31 babies are born with it each year. FA causes every cell in the body to be vulnerable to DNA damage, leading to the death of vital cells or contributing to their transformation into cancers. Our bodies are generally programmed to find and repair damaged DNA constantly. Yet, this rare genetic disorder’s genes responsible for this task do not work correctly. Our bodies can fight fever and have the ability to clot blood and heal itself in most cases, but Easton’s does not. 

After diagnosis, the family spent countless hours researching treatments and cures for FA. Although there’s no cure for FA yet, they learned that he would need to undergo life-saving treatment; A Bone Marrow transplant. Since diagnosis, Easton has been treated locally at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where he undergoes routine blood work and infusions that will continue throughout his life. With the diagnosis being so rare and all FA-related treatment centers being out of state, the family is faced with leaving their home, careers, and life as they know it behind in Arizona. They will need to temporarily relocate for the next several months in Palo Alto, California, where Easton’s transplant and aftercare will take place.  This year has forever changed their family. Easton has courageously pushed through unimaginable challenges for his young age already, and has learned far too much about hospital protocols, blood draws and infusions! We know Easton will be back in his Power Ranger suit stronger than ever, “Energems” fully charged, ready to overcome any challenge that comes his way. 

We humbly ask for your prayers, blessings, and well wishes to guide The Casteneda family, and medical team in their endeavor to restore Easton’s health. Please share this story with your family and friends across social media. We’re eager to make Easton healthy again. We have partnered with the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) for assistance with transplant related expenses, which include all the life saving expenses that result from the diagnosis requiring a patient to be transplanted. Please consider donating to COTA in honor of Easton to help with expenses. We are grateful to every kind donor that chooses to contribute to this cause.