Editor's note: Denver7 has learned that 5-year-old Jaxon Baumgard passed away Sunday morning, a day after the boy celebrated his last Halloween, according to a family friend. The family spoke with Denver7's Tomas Hoppough on Friday. Our story on the community's effort to provide a memorable holiday for Jaxon is below.
ARVADA, Colo – The holidays are all about spending time with the ones you love – even Halloween.
One family in Arvada is trying to spend as much time as they have with their 5-year-old son, Jaxon.
In a small neighborhood in Arvada, there’s a house with a yard full of decorations. However, the decorations aren’t Halloween.
“Yes, our neighborhood is decorated for Christmas,” said Amber Baumgard. “Even the mailman sees our house and is like ‘what are you guys doing?’”
From the outside, it could be peculiar why the Baumgard’s house has Christmas decorations, however the reason is very simple.
“Christmas is Jaxon’s favorite holiday,” Baumgard said. “Our son Jaxon has been battling cancer for about three years now. And a few months ago we found out it was going to be terminal. Just this past Friday we found out we only have a couple more weeks. Celebrating all the holidays together as a family is super important to us.”
The Baumgard’s spent the last couple of months celebrating with Jaxon by taking him to Disney World and celebrating the holidays early.
Baumgard said this is Jaxon’s last Christmas.
On Saturday, it will be his last Halloween.
“Right now, he’s mostly in a wheel chair and can’t walk,” Baumgard said. “Me and my husband’s aunt were looking for wheelchair costume ideas and that’s when we stumbled up Lon’s website.”
Lon Davis is the owner of Walkin’ Rollin’ Costumes, based out of Kansas City, that makes Halloween costumes for kids in wheel chairs.
“Jazon’s costume has got to be the hardest costume I’ve ever had to make emotionally,” Davis said. “I wanted to make his costume perfect more so than any other costume.”
Davis created a custom Toy Story costume for Jaxon. Jaxon’s wheelchair will be Bullseye, while Jaxon will be Woody from Toy Story.
Davis drove from Kansas City to Arvada to surprise Jaxon with the costume.
On Saturday, Jaxon will go trick-or-treating with his family in Arvada.
The Halloween Festival for Jaxon was organized by people in the community to support Jaxon.