Two-day fundraiser rallies support, funds for Las Vegas 11-year-old battling rare bone cancer

Kaysen Camat-Toki, 11, wears a No. 4 jersey like his idol, baseball great Lou Gehrig.

In June, Kaysen was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that affects 20,000 people a year, preventing him from playing baseball. But he finds inspiration in Gehrig, who battled ALS and got the Yankees to retire his jersey number.

By July, less than a month after Kaysen’s diagnosis, the baseball community of Las Vegas rallied around him and his family. His older brother started a GoFundMe page, which has raised over $19,000 to date. Rockin’ Jump Las Vegas, an indoor trampoline gym at 7200 Montessouri St., hosted a fundraiser July 14 and 15, donating 50 percent of the profits to Kaysen’s family to help with his medical care.

Kaysen and his mother, Cindy Camat-Toki, moved to California to be closer to where he could receive treatment. His father, Bojay Toki, stayed in Las Vegas to continue working.

John Emmons, co-owner of Rockin’ Jump, said he was approached by Cheri Matos, owner of the baseball team that Kaysen played on, to help raise money for him.

He said he hardly had to consider it before agreeing to help out the family that suddenly became dependent on one income.

“It does take a village to help a family out — or a valley,” he said, adding that he decided to hold the fundraiser for two days — one of which was a Friday, the busiest day for the gym — to raise the most money he could for the family.

Matos, who has known Kaysen’s family for three years, said his teammates and competitors were coming out to support the 4-foot-11-inch, 70-pound player once they found out he had cancer. In the baseball community, she said the fact that they weren’t blood-related didn’t mean they weren’t family.

“As a whole, the community of baseball has really come together to support them because they’re a loved family — not just by the Pumas; they’re loved by everybody that knows them because they’re just an awesome and amazing family,” she said. “They would do the same for us if the roles were reversed. They’re that type of people.”

When Kaysen came in on the first day of the fundraiser at Rockin’ Jump, leaning on his walker, he grinned as he was greeted with high fives, slaps on the back and fist bumps.

Cindy walked over and hugged just about everyone who had gathered in the lobby. She said she remembers finding out the news, a day after they found out Kaysen had made the All-Stars Little League team.

“We were speechless. We didn’t know what to do,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “I just took a deep breath and said, ‘OK, we need to act on this now.’ ”

But the severity of the tumor meant Kaysen had to make a choice: Amputation — severing his foot to replace his leg’s femur — or have a metal rod replace the bone that would be removed.

On June 16, an MRI showed the tumor on his right femur. The day after, they found out it was malignant. That weekend, Kaysen and Cindy drove to Duarte, Calif., anxious for an appointment with City of Hope, a cancer treatment and research facility.

With his family, Kaysen decided replacing part of his leg with a metal rod was the best option, even if it meant he couldn’t play baseball again. Within weeks of being diagnosed, he went through his first round of chemotherapy. Cindy said she’s already had to pay over $600 out of pocket for his prescription and $65 a night for lodging. The fundraiser will help cover some of those costs.

Less than a month later, after moving to California to seek help, his white blood cell count was back to normal. He spent a week in Las Vegas with friends and family, the same week as the Rockin’ Jump fundraiser.

“It’s just insane,” he said with a smile, describing the support he’s received from friends, family and strangers. “I feel excited seeing them.”

For the long days in the hospital, he plays “NBA 2K16,” a video game that mimics the NBA on a PlayStation 4. There are many long days in the hospital, but the kid with the bright smile doesn’t let it get to him.

“I just relax, take deep breaths and think of something happy. I calm down,” he said, adding that’s how he thinks best.

Cindy said seeing the outpouring from the community was overwhelming. She added that Matos was an angel for helping the family raise money.

Matos set up a table during the fundraiser, selling $8 car decals that read “Ahona, #4Toki” in the shape of a yellow ribbon. She brought along her laptop for work so she could help raise money at the same time.

She said she knows Kaysen’s family has a long road ahead of them but that the baseball community will be there with them.

“It hits home. We had to help Kaysen get through the biggest fight of his life,” she said.

Visit gofundme.com/kaysen4 or tinyurl.com/kaysencardecal.