Raising Aidan, one cupcake at a time

BROADACRES – Young Aidan Freeman was diagnosed with the rare Costello Syndrome at the tender age of one, but thanks to his mother’s creative initiatives, he now has the chance to experience all the wonders that life has to offer.

March 5, 2015

Joni Tollner 2 minutes read

Melissa Hunt and her little miracle named Aidan, who's eating a 'Raising Aidan' cupcake, which his mother markets to help with his medical expenses.

Freeman’s mother, Melissa Hunt, was heartbroken when her son was diagnosed with the genetic disorder. “Doctors examined him from the top of his head to the tips of his toes and even the smallest mark was taken note of before they narrowed the list of possible syndromes down to a few. Googling these syndromes almost gave me heart failure.”

Geneticists finally diagnosed Freeman with Costello Syndrome, a disorder so rare that only 200 to 300 people around the world has ever been diagnosed with it and Freeman is only the second South African to be diagnosed with this disorder.

Little Freeman, now a bubbly, bouncy five-year-old, has to go for abdominal scans four times a year to screen for cancerous tumours. He also needs regular heart scans as he has a thickened left ventricle wall. He has Culcaneo Vulgus Feet which needs correcting, and after the age of ten, he will need to undergo tests for bladder cancer too.

After her son’s diagnosis, she decided to become his full-time caregiver, which allowed her to take him to his various therapy and specialist appointments, and also to be there for him whenever he needs her. This has unfortunately put her under tremendous financial strain and she currently needs over R35 000 a month to cover all his medical and related expenses.

But Hunt is a woman who won’t allow this to stand in the way of her son’s well-being and she came up with a creative way of securing the much-needed funds.

“Shortly after he was diagnosed, my mother and I developed this idea of microwavable cupcake mixes which we sell to raise funds to help raise Aidan. Thus the name of the product is Raising Aidan,” she said.

The wonderful mixes come in a variety of flavours (red velvet, vanilla, strawberry, Horlicks and chocolate to name a few) and there are gluten free and diabetes-friendly options too. The great thing about these mixes is that the cupcakes bake under three minutes, making it a nifty, easy tea-time treat.

Both corporate and individual sponsors are encouraged to pre-order Raising Aidan cupcake mixes or pre-order ready-made cupcakes for their events, thereby helping to raise Aidan, one cupcake at a time.