SCITUATE, Mass. — Five-year-old Hayden Weese is back to coloring, laughing with her sisters and getting ready to start kindergarten this fall — milestones her family does not take for granted after more than a year of treatment for leukemia.
Hayden’s parents, Meggan and Kristopher Weese, said their daughter was diagnosed in April 2025 after what first seemed like a routine childhood illness. Meggan said Hayden had been having occasional febrile seizures and still was not improving, prompting visits to urgent care, the emergency room, and eventually Boston Children’s Hospital.
“Even hearing those words that your child has cancer and this is the type it is, I just remember, I didn’t understand it,” Meggan said. “I couldn’t process this.”
Kristopher said the phone call that night was not what he expected. “I feel like they went because she had a cold,” he said. “The phone call was tough.”
The Weese family said Hayden’s care through Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund has supported not only Hayden, but her whole family, including her sisters Addison and Harper.
Kristopher said the family practically moved in for the first two to three months of treatment, traveling back and forth from the So while Hayden’s older sisters were still in school. Now, he said, Hayden is in a more consistent phase of treatment and is handling it well.
“She starts kindergarten this year, so we couldn’t be happier with how she’s doing,” Kristopher said. “Despite having to go through this, we’re thrilled that she’s getting back to a normal life for her and for us.”
Meggan said Hayden has amazed the family with her strength from the beginning, even comforting her mother on the night of the diagnosis. Hayden’s sisters described her simply as “strong and brave.”
That strength inspired the family’s Jimmy Fund Walk team, “Hope for Hayden,” which is taking part in the massive fundraiser for the second year in a row.
For the Weeses, the walk is also a way to thank the doctors, nurses, and care teams who helped carry their family through an overwhelming chapter.
“We would do anything to give back to the team and bring awareness to what we’ve gone through,” Kristopher said. “We would not be here if it weren’t for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund team pulling us along.”
Meggan said one moment from last year’s walk stayed with her: near the end of the route, the family looked over and saw one of Hayden’s doctors walking beside them with her own family.
“Just to know physically, we are not alone,” Meggan said. “They are at a moment’s reach if we needed something. They’re there all the time.” Boston 25 News is a media partner of the Jimmy Fund Walk. To support the “Hope for Hayden” team, donate here.
To register for the Jimmy Fund Walk or learn more about participating on Oct. 4, visit the official Jimmy Fund Walk website.
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