Fundraising event held for local 4-year-old with rare blood disorder – Lynchburg News and Advance

When he was just a year old, Waylon Means underwent two surgeries for hip dysplasia. Afterwards, doctors found out he had a growth hormone deficiency because he was so small, his parents Aaron and Lauren Means, of Lynchburg, said.

After continuous blood draws, Waylon was diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia a rare genetic blood disorder that leads to Aplastic Anemia and an increased risk of Leukemia when he was 3 years old.

In an effort to raise money for his medical expenses, a Roanoke-based nonprofit held a car, truck and bike show Saturday for him and his family at Tree of Life Ministries on Greenview Drive.

HopeDriven, a 501c3 nonprofit, holds events such as car shows, toy drives and other community events to raise money for children ages 18 and younger whove experienced a life-altering event such as a disease, accident or sickness.

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So anytime we run an event, the money that we raised is donated directly towards them and their medical expenses and associated costs, HopeDrivens president Kevin Jenkins said.

The nonprofit was established in 2019 after Jenkins held a car show to benefit a child with Leukemia in Vinton and raised $11,000 for her medical expenses.

Waylon must undergo regular blood draws every two months and bone marrow biopsies every six to twelve months depending on blood results.

He will be going to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital this Wednesday to undergo further testing and treatment, his father said.

There, the family will meet with an endocrinologist, hematologist and oncologist about what the next steps are for Waylon.

Lauren Means said Fanconi Anemia makes Waylon highly susceptible to cancer, especially leukemia. She said it is expected that by the time he is 8 years old, Waylon may require a bone marrow transplant.

Were very lucky to have gotten in as soon as we did to meet with the people who specialize in his type of Fanconi Anemia, she said. The way the steps have happened has been nothing but a blessing. To be in a situation like this and to get news like that and to not know what the future holds, were in good hands.

Looking around at the hundreds of people who came out to support her son, she said she had no words.

We were praying, she said. We got here and its been one of the biggest turnouts theyve had. Its incredible. Theres so many people who we dont even know who have shown up.

Aaron Means said hes been amazed to see how many people have shared about the event and about Waylon on Facebook and have wanted to support the family through his Go Fund Me page.

Its just been a blessing, he said. The Lord has really done a lot of good work for us and for Waylon and putting all this stuff together.

The event brought in a variety of vehicles such as motorcycles, muscle cars, classic cars from the 50s, 60s and 70s, Jeeps, ATV, trucks and foreign cars.

We have tons of variety of cars, we try to bring older and newer cars together and bridge that gap because at the end of the day, were using our passion for vehicles to raise money for this kid, Jenkins said.

Along with various local food vendors, the event held Hot Wheel Racing for children and an exhaust competition at the end that Jenkins said was sure to get everyone ramped up.

And then at the end of every show, the kid that we sponsor if theyre here or they have a family representative here, they pick the best in show for us, he said.

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Fundraising event held for local 4-year-old with rare blood disorder - Lynchburg News and Advance