Kansas City superheroes assemble behind local child battling cancer
Jason Wayman was diagnosed with leukemia in 2024 and has been battling for more than a year.
'He was just having a lot of fevers and then we went down to Children's Mercy,' his father, Jeremy, said.
'And then we heard the worst news just about any parent could hear is that your child has cancer.'
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A friend of the Waymans saw that Jeremy and his family needed a super spark and organized the parade with the Just-Us League, a cosplay charity.
'We loved it, absolutely loved it,' said Brad Nottingham, dressed as Batman.
'Obviously, this is exactly what I would hope for.'
He said it's a parade he'll remember for a long time and hopes Jason does too.
'I don't know if anybody looks back and says, 'I remember this,'' he said.
'I don't care. They don't ever have to say thank you. It's just out of your heart.'
'The treatment for leukemia. It can be awful heavy for a little one at times,' Jeremy said.
'My wife has to be in the hospital, to be separated a little bit here and there that's the worst part.'
He says that Jason has had multiple stays in the hospital that have been more than 20 days, and he's had blood transfusions, spinal taps and more.
'When we got in the car and first started on the parade, my wife and I were like, 'This is awesome!'' Jeremy said.
Superheroes, including Jason's favorite, Spider-Man, surrounded him and the family as they paraded down Main Street in Belton. Family and friends lined the streets before a ceremony where Jason was given the key to the city by the mayor.
'I never thought that today would be like this. I had no idea,' Jeremy said.
'And I never expected anything like this to happen for us.'
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In addition to the parade, the Just-Us league provided Jason's sister with a $2,000 scholarship as she heads to college. Nottingham says he hopes that the entire day can provide hope to a family battling their own villains.
'Hope is always what we kind of hope that, that they can take something from meeting their hero or villain and know that there is people out there that care, right?'
For Jeremy, he's glad Jason can spend the day just like any other five-year-old would.
'Sitting in the hospital countless hours, there's no running and playing. His immune system's down. He can't be with other kids. He can't play in the lake anymore,' he said.
'Watching him go through the treatments, he is the strongest little, strongest little boy I've ever known. He's the strongest person I've known to sit there and go through all the different things that he's had.'
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