SWANTON, Ohio — Caden Laney is the Swanton teen who WTOL named a Leader in Action, back in 2022, for collecting thousands of toys to gift to kids in the hospital during the holiday season. As a child with Congenital Heart Disease, or CHD, he's no stranger to hospital stays regardless of the time of year.
Laney, now age 13, is about to undergo open heart surgery for the second time in his young life. While his hospital stays were the inspiration for his toy drive, he'll be at C.S. Motts Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI for a better future. Caden's mother, Tanya Laney, is beyond proud of her son stealing hearts across Ohio, since he made it his mission to make sure sick kids in the hospital over the holidays get a toy or two to make their stay a little better.
"Life is literally-what? One percent of what happens to us and 99% of how you deal with it," said Tanya.
Caden Laney has taken Bicuspid Aortic Stenosis, in stride, for the last 13 years. His mom Tanya said her miracle baby, having had open heart surgery at five years old and now again at 13 years old, is a test for everyone.
"I feel pretty stressed, but pretty confident at the same time," expressed Caden.
"It's amazing to see the things he's already accomplished. I can't wait to see what he does as he grows up, because this is a big part of who he is," said Tanya.
While CHD is a big part of Caden's life, friends Troy Walburn, Giovanni Ruiz and Evan Reinhard keep him grounded because he's just 'one of the boys.'
"He likes to give back to other people," said Walburn. "He's a pretty cool kid. He got me into pickle ball, which is pretty fun."
"We play video games together. We also play at recess and we do all of that," said Reinhard.
"I mean it's nice having him as a friend," said Ruiz.
"It makes me pretty happy. I know that I can enter a room and they'll treat me normally," said Caden.
Surgery is anticipated to take between four to five hours, with about six weeks of recovery afterwards. While his friends say they're prayerful, no one is overly worried because they have faith in Caden.
"I'm a little concerned but I know that he can fight through it," said Reinhard.
"You should pray and keep him in your prayers," said Ruiz. "I know he's going to get through it."
The Laney family headed up to Ann Arbor on April 20. Caden is scheduled to go in for surgery at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, April 21. Doctors told Tanya it will be a long day but anticipate he'll do just fine.
WTOL will continue to follow Caden Laney's story, check back for more information.