Student's Letter Grants Wish for Fellow Student

Royal Oaks Elementary School fifth-grader, Kaden Longworth, and his family received a special surprise on December 19, thanks to kind words written by a classmate, Emerson Pyrz. Emerson wrote a letter to local radio station KDWB, asking them to grant a “Christmas Wish” for Kaden and his family. Of the hundreds of letters submitted, Emerson’s was chosen.

Just a few months ago, Kaden was diagnosed with leukemia. Since then, the community at Royal Oaks Elementary has rallied to his side. Kaden’s teacher, Ms. Bartness, has visited him multiple times a week to continue his learning when he can’t be in school. His classmates have also decided to sell “Team Kaden” bracelets to raise money to help the family cover their expenses while he goes through treatment.

When Emerson heard about The Dave Ryan Show’s “Christmas Wish,” she thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get more help for her classmate and wrote a letter. The letter was selected by The Dave Ryan Show and Emerson was able to share the news during a live broadcast with Kaden and his mom on KDWB. During the announcement, the family was gifted a variety of presents to help brighten their holiday - including a Nintendo Switch for Kaden and gift cards for his three brothers and parents.