ALAMOSA, COLORADO — A family is desperately searching for a cure for their son, whose debilitating condition is basically turning him into stone.<br /><br />Fox43 reports that Jaiden Rogers has congenital fascial dystrophy, or stiff skin syndrome — a connective tissue disorder characterized by thick, stone-like skin.<br /><br />The 12-year-old's struggle with the disease started six years ago, when his adoptive dad Tim Rogers noticed a small, hard lump on his right thigh that got bigger and spread at an alarming rate.<br /><br />It soon wrapped around his legs, hips, butt, and arms, and making it difficult and painful to move, and confining him to a wheelchair.<br /><br />Chemotherapy slowed the calcification for a while, but the symptoms have since gotten worse, with Jaiden now needing a respirator to help him breathe.<br /><br />Only 40 other cases of the rare condition have ever been documented in the world, so doctors know very little, and are still struggling to find a cure. They say the worst case scenario is total paralysis, with Jaiden becoming entombed within himself.<br /><br />Stem cell treatment in Europe could be the boy's last hope, but the family's finances have already been exhausted.<br /><br />A GoFundMe account has been set up to fund the medical costs. Only $43,000 of the $1.5 million goal has been raised so far, but family and friends say donating air miles or hotel points would also help.
