Town holds parade for 5-year-old boy who completed 3 years of chemotherapy

Community Holds Parade to Celebrate Little Boy’s Last Chemotherapy Treatment

A community in Columbus, Ohio, came together on March 6 to hold a parade for five-year-old Aiden, who was celebrating the end of three years of chemotherapy treatments.(Credit: Katherine Fulton via Storyful)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A 5-year-old boy was treated to a parade in his town after completing three years of chemotherapy treatments.

Aiden Fulton was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 2 years old in 2017.

"He has been on chemotherapy and in active treatments since that first day he was diagnosed," his mother, Katherine, said to Storyful. "1,174 days of chemo, steroids, blood draws, and procedures!"

Katherine said the parade was a surprise for her son organized by No Kids Fight Cancer Alone, or NC4K, a local nonprofit that works with families affected by pediatric cancer.

She said other organizations also contributed to the celebration. One organization provided the ‘No More Chemo’ sign, another sent a band, and the local fire department and police precincts also came to show their support.

The 10-minute video showed Aiden standing on the sidewalk as drivers cruised down the street, handing him gifts through their vehicle windows. Several people also walked along the parade route, including a person dressed in a dinosaur costume.

"I never imagined so many people that we don’t know would rally around our son and cheer him on as he celebrates that he finished his long cancer battle," Katherine continued. "I was expecting maybe a 20-car drive-by, not the big parade he received!"

"We are forever grateful for having our community rally behind our family and Aiden and show him so much love and support," she added.

The American Cancer Society estimates 10,500 children in the United States under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2021. After accidents, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 14, according to the organization.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.