Tuttle Teen Battling Life-Threatening Lymphatic Failure, Family Raising Money For Treatment

Kayden Ward, 15, is a Tuttle teen who is fighting for his life after developing a rare form of lymphatic failure.

Kayden and his grandma, Melissa Archer, who is also his sole guardian, travel back and forth from Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas where a specialized team of doctors are searching for a cure for Kayden’s condition.

Now, Kayden and Melissa are sharing their story and asking for help from the community.

What is lymphedema?

Lymphedema is a chronic condition that causes fluid build-up and swelling in the body.

According to Archer, Kayden was born with lymphedema on only his left side and the condition was manageable for 14 years.

“They just kept saying it's incurable. There's nothing we can do. At that time, it was manageable,” Archer said.

In early 2024, Kayden’s lymphedema worsened, causing total lymphatic failure, a rare complication of the disease.

“His lymphedema just isn't in the arm now, just in one leg or one little fit like it was before. It's in his whole entire body,” Archer said.

Kayden’s Health Decline

Archer says Kayden’s lung collapsed in September due to the fluid buildup in his chest.

“It's like how a river carves out a valley. So that river of lymphatic fluid is now carving out its own valley in his upper cavity. So, it's got to move and if there's no place to move, it's going to move and push against organs and things like that,” Archer explained.

Additionally, Kayden’s limbs are constantly swollen, causing limited mobility.

“It's hard because I can't even walk without almost falling over or having to grab onto something. It really sucks. It really does,” Kayden said.

He has to wear compression garments 24/7 to help control the swelling.

Treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital

The pair travel back and forth to Houston for intensive physical therapy treatments and to have some of the excess fluid drained from Kayden’s body.

“They're trying to treat him and slow down the fluid with chemo and other experimental meds. So far, it's been about a year, and it's not really showing any result,” Archer said.

He’s due back at Texas Children’s Hospital in January for another round of treatment.

“Right now, they're saying that there's nothing else [they] can do for Kayden, but what they're about to do until they come up with a new research technique that's never been done before,” Archer said.

Financial Struggles

Archer took a step back from her job to care for Kayden over the last year, putting a strain on her ability to keep up with medical bills.

“It's starting to get scary. And I’m trying to still keep my faith as much as I can that we're still here, we're still paying our bills, but we are starting to struggle.”

In 2024, Archer paid nearly $30,000 in medical expenses out of pocket and worries about expenses coming in 2025.

Hanging on to Hope

“I guess at times I just sit and think, how much longer is it going to be until I do get better? Because I used to like riding my bike and playing basketball and all that, but I can't even do that anymore,” Kayden said.

Despite an uncertain future, Kayden said he and his grandma lean heavily on their faith for strength.

“I'm still going to keep trying. I'm still going to keep trying that exercise. I'm still going to keep trying because I have faith. I have faith in God that he's going to make me better. He wouldn't have gave me this disease if he didn't know that I would be able to fight it,” Kayden said.

“Kayden and I have had talks in dark moments that he has had that god didn't do all this for no reason,” Archer added. “That he will someday have maybe saved another child from walking the walk he has walked because they will have learned so much from Kayden’s condition.”

Kayden said he won’t give up hope as he continues treatment.

How can you help?

If you’d like to donate to help with Kayden’s medical expenses and travel to Houston, click here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-melissa-in-saving-kaydens-life