Jayden Polinsky
Jayden was born on May 23, 2007 joining his mom Jennifer, dad Eric and big sister Emmaline. Not too much later, he cemented his position as number one son in the family when his two little sisters, McKayla and Olivia joined the Polinsky crew.
Jayden loves playing video games and has a heart that just exudes kindness to everyone he meets. His dad describes him as more patient than anyone else they've ever known and just flat out nice to everyone.
A quintissential teenage boy, Jayden loves pizzas, burgers, and spending time on his computer. But most of all, he values spending time with his family. Their close knit family has been an incredible support system for both Jayden and each other as they have navigated his recent health challenges and the obstacles that come with it.
Diagnosis
In September of 2024, Jayden started exhibiting concerning symptoms, including extreme fatigue. Tiredness is not an uncommon teenage characteristic but his parents' concern increased when they began to notice weakness on one side of his face when Jayden smiles. After taking him in for testing, on September 4, 2024, they received a diagnosis of DIPG, a disease they had never heard of her before and their world changed forever.
Jayden began an aggressive treatment journey and his family went all in to make sure that he had every opportunity available to him, traveling often from their home in Corryton, TN six hours one-way to St. Jude in Memphis. The burden of travel, the unknown of this diagnosis and the weight of a totally upside down world on their shoulders is an incredibly heavy load to carry, but Jennifer and Eric, along with the rest of their family have a faith that has remained their foundation through every hill and valley of Jayden's treatment. As he approaches the one-year mark of living with DIPG, Jayden has endured multiple brain surgeries, reactions to clinical trials and so many more questions than answers. But through it all, he is still that same patient and kind kid making his family so very proud. ​
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Jayden is a young man with an old soul and a family that has his back every minute of every day and the Archer Foundation is proud to support their journey for more good days.
