Hunting and an unbreakable positive attitude keeps this young cancer patient fighting

It's been a rough two years for 12-year-old Jayden Oakes.

His struggle and determination might be hard to detect as he battles life-threatening cancer.

Jayden, a native of the small Tehama County community of Rancho Tehama Reserve, was diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2019.

"I went into this place called a black hole where I was depressed all the time," his grandmother, Jane Vinson, said after Jayden was first diagnosed. "I was upset and sad."

Even after learning of the cancer, Jayden refused to allow Vinson, his 10-year-old brother Jordan and his mother to hang their heads. Instead he wanted their focus to be on finding a cure and living a joyful life.

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By medical standards, Jayden is considered an anomaly given 150,000 people are diagnosed with colon cancer annually. However, fewer than 100 people age 20 or less are affected by the cancer each year, according to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

In February 2020, Jayden traveled to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and underwent a procedure called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) where tumors were removed from his abdomen.

The surgical procedure, performed by UNC Chapel Hill pediatric chief surgeon Andrea Hayes-Jordan, took 15 hours. Hayes-Jordan removed over a thousand tumors from Jayden, including one which weighed 7 pounds, Vinson said. 

After 14 rounds of chemotherapy, Jayden lost his colon, spleen and gallbladder. He also lost part of his pancreas, diaphragm and omentum or a sheet of fat over the stomach and liver and connective tissue. 

"I wouldn't be scared of dying," Jayden said. "I'd be scared of having to live with (cancer) for the rest of my life."

Even with many of his organs missing, Jayden is living an adventurous life.

An unforgettable adventure

Jayden always dreamed of going hunting before being diagnosed with cancer.

He's an active boy who would be playing sports right now if it weren't for his illness. Jayden loves to wrestle and play football. Dozens of medals from various wrestling meets hang on a dresser alongside Jordan's awards in the living room of his house. 

Jayden had always wanted to hunt but didn't have any experienced hunters to show him how.

That's when Karen Arrowsmith of Red Bluff, who teaches at Antelope Elementary School in Red Bluff, heard about the boy's story and passed it on to California Deer Association President and Redding resident Donn Walgamuth.

"The backstory is gut wrenching because you never want to hear of a young man or young person having to go through any disease or any case of cancer like what Jayden's got," Walgamuth said during an interview at his paint store in Redding.

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Walgamuth said the California Deer Association has a program that raises money for a hunting trip, which the organization donates to someone with a disability. Although the conservation group already completed its hunting trip for the year, an exception was made for Jayden and his family.

"Jayden is one of those kids who you will never forget," Walgamuth said. 

Jayden and Walgamuth made an instant connection when they met, and they began planning their expedition into the grassy plains of the North State on Oct. 15.

Walgamuth remembers the appreciation Jayden had for the hunting process; from the gun cleaning to the positioning and hours spent staring into the wilderness.

"(Jayden's) eyes lit up and he appreciated every second of the hunt, the ranch and everything about it," Walgamuth said. "He's the kid that wanted to jump out and get the ranch gate for you. He didn't sit back and look at his phone. He was engaged 100% of the time and I appreciate that so much." 

He was dressed in camouflage, armed with a rifle and was joined by Jordan, grandmother Jane Vinson, Walgamuth with his wife Melissa and Arrowsmith who brought along her husband, Clint, and daughters, Taylor and Ashlyn.

"We went out into the wilderness and we spotted a few bucks but not very many," Jayden said in describing his expedition.

"The next day we saw a lot of pigs and tried to get some bucks, but they were too far away but there was a lot of coyotes."

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"I got to shoot a coyote," Jayden said as he snorted and unleashed a laugh that left a glow in the room.

But the real prize would come Oct. 17 when the group had one more opportunity to capture the elusive buck the group was looking to hunt and harvest. 

It was Jayden's time to shine. Earlier in the morning he had picked off a wild pig. In the afternoon, the group saw horns and staked out an area to watch the deer.

For two hours using binoculars, Jayden and his crew remained still in the grasslands and changed positions once.

"The first spot was 440 yards but then we moved and it was 404 yards," Jayden said. "We waited until he got up but there was a doe, so we had to wait until we got clear of the doe. She moved out of the way and got cleared for the shot and we got him."

Using his grandfather Larry Vinson's knife, Jayden with the help of the Walgamuths and Arrowsmiths gutted the animal. A & R Custom Butchering in Red Bluff processed the meat and donated the venison back to Jayden and his family.

"Everything about this trip was amazing," Jayden said. "Everything." 

Jayden's new love for hunting allow him to stay active as he continues to battle cancer.

He hopes, with help from Vinson, to take Jordan turkey hunting in November and this time Jordan will get a chance to take a few shots of his own.

Jordan couldn’t hunt the deer or pigs because he was too young by California law. The rules are different for birds.

Family and will

There was no mistaking the tears welling up in Donn Walgamuth's eyes when he thought back to the trip he helped organize for Jayden, whose family has weathered numerous challenges in 2020.

Jayden's grandfather Larry, the patriarch of the family, died just days before the hunting trip took place after a long battle with lung cancer. Larry was the man who was always taking care of the boys. He drove them to school, wrestling meets, football games and himself was a lifelong fan of the San Francisco 49ers.

He was a man who was beloved by many in their little corner of Tehama County.

No matter how many hits Jayden has taken, he has managed to smile through it all and gain new friends like the Walgamuths and Arrowsmiths through the process.

"(Jayden) knows what life's about," Walgamuth said. "He appreciates the small things and he appreciates the big things. It's really spectacular for him to be able to reflect and give (adults) a reality check."

Jayden’s cancer has elevated to Stage 4 and spread to his lungs. He has a 14% survival rate, according to data released by American Cancer Society. 

Jayden isn’t worried about any of the numbers. All he needs is his family’s support to beat this cancer.

"I'm just there for him and I love him," Jordan said.

And that’s good enough for Jayden.

Ethan Hanson started working for the Redding Record Searchlight after four years with the Los Angeles Daily News as a freelancer. His coverage includes working the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in South Bend, Indiana, and writing about the St. Louis Rams' move to Los Angeles with the Ventura County Star. He began his career as a play-by-play broadcaster for LA Pierce College from 2011-2017. Follow him on Twitter at @EthanAHanson_RS.