"He's definitely our miracle child:" Young cancer survivor uses dance to raise money for cancer research
SACRAMENTO — A young cancer survivor is using his passion for dance to raise money for cancer research. The tough 8-year-old is getting the community on the dance floor to make a difference.
When 8-year-old Aiden hears the beat, he can't help but move his feet. If the going gets tough, he keeps on grooving.
At 2 years old, Aiden was diagnosed with T-cell leukemia and given only three days to live. But what doctors didn't factor in was the young boy's resilience.
Aiden had a superpower: using dance as an outlet to get through treatment.
"Through that gift, we've been able to touch the community — through his gifts and talents and just his journey and everything he has been through, and he's definitely our miracle child," said Aiden's mother Adeola Adedipe.
Now, at 8 years old, he's a cancer survivor.
On Saturday, he and his supporters put on an event called Dancing For Lives. Attendees learned a dance routine as they raised money for cancer research.
"We're not just going to dance today. We're going to dive into who they are and the things that they are challenged with from day to day," said dance choreographer Brianna James. "At the end of the day, we're celebrating life and we want to make sure we don't miss that."
Aiden's dancing brought opportunities for joy in the darkest of times.
He's now inspiring others to do the same; with every 8-count, he's spreading his light to everyone around him.
Proceeds from Saturday's event went to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's cancer research. Aiden's mother shared with CBS13 that he even gave a special performance demonstrating just how far he's come since the day of his diagnosis.