The second annual 804 Day, set for Friday in Shockoe Bottom, promises to be a vibrant celebration of Richmond’s community spirit. While over 15 bands across various genres will join local artists, musicians and merchants, the event holds a deeper significance for one performer.

 Daniel W. Jones, known as Nickelus F
 

Daniel W. Jones, known by his rap moniker Nickelus F, sees the day as a crucial opportunity to help save the life of his 7-year-old nephew, Cayden Addison. Cayden is in urgent need of a bone marrow donor to treat a rare form of leukemia, and Jones aims to use his platform at the event to spread awareness and potentially find a match.

Jones, one of the headliners of the event, recently began using his place in the music community to help spread Cayden’s story. It’s a major change for Jones, who tends to keep his personal life separate from his work, but he sees this as a worthwhile exception.

“The position that I’m in — being able to reach a lot of people at one time,” Jones said, “What else would that ability be useful for if it wasn’t to help somebody that I love?”

  

 By Sandra Sellars  

Qualifying participants who donate during 804 Day will be asked to swab both sides of the inside of their mouth for roughly 10 seconds each with swabs for samples of their genetic type. Participants will be informed if they’re a match with Cayden within four to six weeks using the contact information they will be asked to provide when registering for the cheek swab.

All who qualify are welcome to contribute, though organizers are encouraging African Americans in particular to help, as they are more likely to be a genetic match for Cayden due to sharing an ethnic background.

Cayden’s battle with leukemia began in April 2020 when it was first diagnosed, leading to two years of treatment that sent the disease into remission in 2022.

However, Cayden relapsed in February last year. When attempts at therapy failed to keep the disease at bay, his family turned to an idea that would require community support.

“When he was first diagnosed, it wasn’t something that we really considered,” Cayden’s mother and Jones’ sister Courtney Addison said. “But once he relapsed, that was when we first started (talking) about the possibility of him needing a bone marrow transplant.”

Since the summer of 2023, Cayden’s family has worked to find a viable bone marrow donor through a wide range of community events and outreach. They have been assisted by NMDP, formerly known as the National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match and others.

The family’s outreach has spread from their home in Chesapeake across Virginia and beyond, with family and friends coordinating events in Oregon and New York.

Community interest has been high so far, with an event at Midlothian’s Triple Crossing Beer in early June attracting over 50 people. Combined with other events held over the last several months, over 100 people have participated in the donor search so far.

“I’ve had an incredible amount of people in our corner just helping to spread the word,” Addison said. “It’s honestly over-whelming and a good way just to know how many people care about Cayden, and care about him really, finally beating this once and for all.”

Jones has been among the most dedicated contributors to this effort. Alongside helping care for Cayden and his brother, Christian, when their parents are busy, he also has been utilizing his connections to spread his nephew’s needs to more people.

“My main thing was spreading the word when it came to organizing the events,” Jones said. “I just wanted to get the word out to as many people as possible, and use whatever connections I had to reach out.”

Cayden’s struggle to find a matching donor is not unique, according to NMDP, as Black and African American patients tend to find matching bone marrow donors 29% of the time compared to 79% for white patients.

For those who volunteer to be a donor for Cayden but aren’t a match, their contributions are still valuable according to Rayshawn Graves, a member recruitment coordinator for NMDP.

Those who provide their information could be a match for children and adults who have waited just as long, if not longer, for help and potentially save other lives.

“What we want people to know is that when they’re signing up, they could be signing up to help Cayden,” Graves said, “but they can also be signing up to help hundreds if not thousands of patients who are on the registry who they could potentially be a match for.”

When a match is found, the NMDP will handle the costs and logistics of the transplant process, including travel and lost income from jobs, working with donors and their schedules to find the best times available.

The transplant process could last up to 100 days if a viable donor is found, as doctors will need to prepare Cayden’s body for the process, and give him time to recover after the transplant is complete.

The process of the search and the transplant would weigh heavily on most people in Cayden’s position. Yet, those who care for him say he remains a beacon of optimism and energy.

“He’s incredibly resilient,” Addison said. “Despite everything that he’s been through physically, he remains positive and, if he doesn’t feel well, he has the ability to just bounce back super fast and just go on living like a normal child.”

Those who qualify and are looking to contribute during 804 Day can find the cheek swab tent among other vendors at 17th Street from 4 to 9 p.m. Signs will be placed throughout the event area to direct people toward the tent. Potential donors must be between the ages of 18 and 40.

Those interested in participating in the donor search also can text CaydenCFC to 61474 to start the process and see if they’re a potential match.