In 2010, Jayden's parents were informed that their little boy had cancer in his right arm from his elbow to his shoulder. He immediately began chemotherapy treatment which sent the cancer into remission, but the family was stunned to find out that Jayden had developed another form of cancer.
After a courageous battle, this past July doctors told Jayden's parents that there was nothing more that they could do for him. They estimated that Jayden only had five to six good weeks left before he would be bedridden for his final six months.
The family wanted to make Jayden's final weeks as joyful as possible, fulfilling Jayden's wishlist. First a puppy, then a family vacation to the beach, but there was one wish that would be a bit more difficult...Jayden wanted to meet his favorite character, Batman. This is where the heart of Youngstown, Ohio gave the Barber family the assist they so desperately needed.
Thundertreats' Dilo
The city of Youngstown, Ohio, Jayden's home, has been called many things but until you live here, you will never understand the will and determination of this community. Together, more than 30,000 people joined the Facebook movement "Lighting the Bat Signal for Jayden". The effort was to get Christian Bale, the real Batman, to come and meet Jayden. It was a tall order, but not one tall enough for Youngstown to back down from. Those labeled "Jayden's Warriors" spread the word to anyone within an earshot and on August 23rd, Jayden got to meet "Batman".
At a local area middle school football field, Jayden was escorted by his parents while thousands of "Warriors" cheered him on. He got to light the Bat Signal and even got to ride in the Bat Mobile. This was the night of Jayden's life. Batman, "real" or not and accompanied by many other super heroes, made Jayden's wish come true.
Even though Christian Bale was not able to appear at THAT event, the Barber family has revealed on Jayden's Facebook page that Bale flew Jayden and his family to Los Angeles this past Wednesday.
"Finally can share!!! Christian sent us to LA and we had lunch at Disney club 33 on wed!! He and his family were so awesome and down to earth!!!"
"The entire interaction was like old friends having lunch. Jayden did not get star struck but was well aware of who we were with!" she gushed. "They talked movies and super Heros an he was genuinely happy to hear about everything Jayden wanted to tell him. Christian, his wife and daughter are three of the most beautiful people we have ever met! Christian made these arrangements for us personally and ensured we were treated like royalty. I don't have even one negative thing to say about them. I can tell you that they were just as impressed w Jayden as Jayden was w them :)"
The Barber family last week also had another reason to be happy, as Jayden's test results showed that his cancer was in remission. The family is cautiously optimistic as Jayden's cancer has gone into remission several times before. Our thoughts and prayers go out to young Jayden and his family.