COURTESY PHOTO
Kayden Marcelino, of Lynn, has had three open heart surgeries before his third birthday.
Three-year-old Kayden Marcelino of Lynn, doesn’t let his daily obstacles stop him from feeling the music, as you can see in the attached photo, and he doesn’t let his tubes trip him up when someone turns on the tunes.
This tiny performer who can’t resist a good melody found support while receiving treatment at Franciscan Children’s – and is now often spotted dancing in the playroom.
Kayden has been a patient since March following surgery and a stay at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has a complex diagnosis of Trisomy-21 (Down syndrome), along with complex cardiac disease, pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) and subsequent progressive pulmonary vein disease, which requires him to be on a ventilator via a tracheal tube.
A fighter since birth, Kayden has had three open heart surgeries before his third birthday. Eventually, Kayden required a tracheostomy following his third heart surgery, and shortly after he and his mother, Leyda Uribe, were referred to Franciscan Children’s in Brighton for further recovery.
The pair is no stranger to hospitals, but were unsure of what to expect when entering the doors of Franciscan Children’s for the first time.
The dream is to return home with her son but until that is possible, Leyda has found a home at Franciscan Children’s, saying, “It’s like family here. Everyone checks in on us all day, every day. And nothing fazes Kayden. This kid is unbelievable! He’s always on the run.”
An added challenge now is that, in order to go home, Leyda and Kayden are in need of public housing assistance that is adequate and accessible to meet his needs after Leyda recently lost her home of 10 years in Lynn.
Housing assistance is a frequent challenge for the Franciscan Children’s patient population – on average, up to 25 percent of families rely on some form of housing assistance, making inadequate housing a top concern for Franciscan Children’s social workers who want to ensure a safe discharge.
Along with others, Medical Social Worker Ashley Glesser is working diligently to get Kayden to a home setting where he can spend time with his family and thrive outside of the hospital.
Leyda has four older children as well and remains hopeful that her family will be reunited soon, at the same time as she prepares for how to care for Kayden properly when the duo finally is able to return home – she has known from the start that managing his health challenges would be difficult and is currently receiving education on his trach tube and oxygen requirements.
Against all odds, Kayden gets through each day with many dance sessions and continues to conquer any obstacle that comes his way. For now, Kayden and Leyda are taking life’s uncertainties one dance step at a time.
