Ja’Kayden’s Journey from Wheelchair to the Marching Band

Dec 8, 2025 | Children's Health, Patient Stories

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After four years in a wheelchair, 14-year-old Ja’Kayden is walking again. And not just walking. He’s marching across the field with his school band, keeping rhythm to a beat that’s entirely his own.

For his mom, Kawanda, watching him take those first steps after years of uncertainty felt almost unreal.

“We went from appointment to appointment, trying to find answers,” she says. “There were so many times I didn’t think we’d get here but look at him now.”

Behind this incredible moment stands a team of specialists from FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health and Manning Family Children’s, a collaboration that represents what happens when complex care becomes connected care.

When Walking Wasn’t Possible

Ja’Kayden’s healthcare journey began in summer 2021, when he started feeling pain and weakness in his legs.

“He would say his legs felt funny or sore,” his mom remembers. “Then one morning he woke up crying because he couldn’t get up. He said, ‘Mama, I can’t move my legs.’”

Over the next few weeks, Ja’Kayden’s condition worsened. He lost feeling in his legs and could no longer stand. Doctors ran tests, but no one could find a clear diagnosis.

“We went from one specialist to another and still didn’t have answers,” Kawanda says. “It was hard not knowing what was happening.”

For the next four years, Ja’Kayden relied on a wheelchair.

“He stayed strong, but it was tough for him,” she says. “He’d always been active, and he just wanted to be a kid again.”

A Team Who Came Together

That breakthrough finally came when Ja’Kayden’s care team at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health rallied together to coordinate his care.

Katie Queen, MD, pediatrician and director of the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health Weight and Nutrition Center, where Ja’Kayden receives care, knew his case would require a different kind of teamwork.

“What helped Ja’Kayden wasn’t just one specialty or one treatment,” Dr. Queen says. “It was all of us coming together to figure out what he needed next. That’s what our multidisciplinary care is all about.”

It started with a conference call, where pediatric specialists from several departments, including neurology, psychology and nutrition, came together to map out a care plan.

April Hamilton, RN, nurse with the Weight and Nutrition Center, helped coordinate that effort.

“We were all focused and asking, ‘How can we give him the best chance to walk again?’” April says. “Everyone brought their piece of the puzzle, and it made all the difference.”

Getting to the Heart (and Mind) of the Issue

Yash Shah, MD, pediatric neurologist, says cases like Ja’Kayden’s require looking beyond test results.

“Functional neurological disorders are very real, but they don’t always show up on scans or labs,” he explains. “It takes time, trust and collaboration between providers and with the patient’s family to understand what’s happening and how to help.”

Part of that help came from behavioral health.

Elizabeth Casselberry, NP, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner for Our Lady of the Lake, says Ja’Kayden’s story reminds her how intertwined the mind and body really are.

“When kids face a condition like this, there’s often so much fear and frustration,” she says. “Our job is to help them see what’s possible again and to remind them their story isn’t finished.”

The group developed a coordinated plan that combines medical, neurological and psychological support.

“Dr. Shah came in and got everything moving,” Kawanda says. “He started calling people and running tests. That’s when things finally started to happen.”

Walking Toward Joy

The resulting plan of action, and Ja’Kayden’s determination, paid off. With two weeks of in-patient rehab at Manning Family Children’s and hard work, he regained strength and balance.

“I remember when they called me in to see him walk,” Kawanda says. “They told me, ‘We want to show you something.’ And when I saw him walking, I was full of emotions. I hadn’t seen him walk in more than four years.”

By the time Ja’Kayden completed his rehabilitation program this summer, he was standing tall and looking forward to a new goal: joining the marching band.

“He told me, ‘Mama, I want to play drums,’” Kawanda says. “I told him, ‘Then we’re going to work hard to get you there.’ And he did.”

Diane Franz, PhD, director of the department of psychology at Manning Family Children’s, was thrilled to see Ja’Kayden’s recovery.

“Our multidisciplinary rehabilitation team, which provides an individualized, structured approach to intervention for FND patients, mirrors the evidenced based treatment implemented nationally for this challenging condition,” she says. “Our team was excited to see Ja’Kayden meet his goals and more!”

Marching Toward What’s Next

Those first steps have taken Ja’Kayden all the way back to something he loves: music. With a drum harness strapped over his shoulders, he is now marching with the McKinley High School band, smiling and steady.

“Music helped me boost my confidence,” he says. “Being out of the wheelchair gives me freedom.”

For his mom, seeing him on his feet again is nothing short of a miracle.

“With faith and with the team, everything is possible,” Kawanda says. “I thank God for everyone who helped him. They didn’t stop until he was back on his feet.”

That teamwork is exactly what his providers say makes stories like Ja’Kayden’s possible.

“Seeing him walk into his appointments and be able to march in the band, that’s why we do what we do,” Dr. Queen says. “His progress is a reflection of faith, teamwork and a family who never gave up.”

Ja’Kayden’s progress was possible because everyone on his care team refused to give up and worked together to find a way forward.

“This was a true team effort,” Dr. Shah says. “Everyone had a role to play, and we all worked toward the same goal, helping Ja’Kayden get back to being a kid.”

Amazing moments like Ja’Kayden’s happen every day at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, moments where connection, collaboration and compassion come together for kids and families.