(Grand Blanc, Mich.) At a rally with students and teachers from Brendal Elementary School, 10-year-old Kaden Stevenson debuted his alter ego—’Kaden Blaze-Flu Fighter’ on Thursday morning.
The event, sponsored by Families Fighting Flu, was also the launch for a new comic book “Kaden Blaze Fights the Flu Bug”.
The comic book is based on the true story of Kaden Stevenson, a resident of Grand Blanc. Right before Christmas 2022, Kaden’s mom noticed he wasn’t his usual energetic self. After about four days of monitoring him, she realized he was not improving. He was also complaining about pain in his right leg.
Things quickly spiraled from there. When Michele brought Kaden to their local hospital, they immediately made the decision to transfer him via air ambulance to the children’s hospital in Grand Rapids. Upon arrival, it was determined that Kaden had Influenza A and strep. A pediatric surgeon was called in to relieve the pressure in his leg. He was also suffering from toxic shock syndrome due to an infection in his blood. His organs were beginning to shut down.
Both of Kaden’s legs were amputated because of the infection in his bloodstream—the right above the knee and the left below. He was in the hospital and rehabilitation for roughly nine weeks and will continue to need additional surgeries as he grows.
“Those first weeks of Kaden’s illness were the most scared I’ve ever been,” said Kaden’s mother, Michele Stevenson. “I had made the mistake of not getting Kaden’s flu vaccine that year, but I never knew anyone could become that ill from the flu. Now, we get our flu shot every year, and we share Kaden’s story, so this doesn’t happen to another family. I was so excited when the Families Fighting Flu team came up with the comic book idea.”
In the hospital at the same time as Kaden was another little boy—a 5-year-old who also had the flu. Unfortunately, the other little boy didn’t survive.
Kaden told his mom he must have superpowers because he survived the flu—and he wanted to use his superpowers to save other kids from the flu. The idea for Kaden Blaze, superhero and flu fighter, was born.
“Kaden has always been a superhero to all of us who know him, said Michele Slafkosky, executive director of Families Fighting Flu. “His story is so inspiring, and he is such a unique kid. We’re thrilled to launch ‘Kaden Blaze Fights the Flu Bug’ and we hope that it serves as a way for parents, kids and healthcare providers to have fact-based discussions about the importance of vaccination.”
Kaden’s arch enemy—the Flu Bug – tried to crash the rally, but with Kaden’s superpowers and the help of his classmates and teachers, who used a ‘Community Immunity’ cheer, they were able to scare the Flu Bug away.
“Today was a great day for our school community,” said Duane Engleman, principal, Brendel Elementary School. “Kaden’s story has had such an impact on our kids, teachers, staff and parents. Everyone is so amazed by all he has accomplished, and we know Kaden Blaze will continue to do good things to help protect others from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Copies of the Comic Book are available for purchase on the Families Fighting Flu website.
