Dylan's Fund

Winter break was approaching when seven-year old Dylan Worchel and his nine-year old sister, Aubrey, entered the School's In/Out programs at the YMCA of Greater Nashua. I had been working for the program since the fall of 2014 and was thrilled to welcome two new kids into the group. I was even more thrilled when I began to see how their vibrant, fun-loving personalities were positively impacting the other kids. I quickly learned that they were the kind of kids who make going to work a pleasure. 

When winter vacation began, Dylan started complaining about frequent headaches. He'd sit for the majority of the day with his head buried in his hands, reluctant to speak with anyone. It was a radical change from the Dylan I knew, and the persistence of the heacaches suggested that his body might be battling something serious. 

A few weeks later, his grandmother informed me that doctors had found a cancerous tumor in Dylan's brain. He would most likely be out of school for the remainder of the year for treatment. It was one of the most devastating things I have ever been told, and I can only imagine what it was like for his family. This first-grade boy - energetic, enthusastic, happy - would be forced to spend his days cooped up in a hospital room, undergoing chemotherapy, at an age when he should be running around on a playground and learning about addition and subtraction. It simply wasn't fair. 

Since then, his family has done everything they can to get him better. When Dylan is home, his dad takes off work to stay with him and keep him busy. His grandmother continues to drop off and pick up Aubrey from the Y. They make the two-hour trek to the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock for treatment on weekends. They are a strong family fighting for a strong little boy.

I am starting this campaign in collaboration with Dylan's father, Jacob, to try and garner some financial support from the community. I know that the family would appreciate every penny they receive so that Dylan has the best resources to fight this ugly disease.

In closing, I want to say how lucky I feel to have been able to form a relationship with Dylan and his family. His energy and optimism have not waned one bit since he discovered he has cancer. His sister continues to light up the room with her cheerfulness and humor.  His family has been there for him every step of the way and I have no idea how they manage to conjure so much strength and composure in this difficult time. They are true inspirations to me and my co-workers at the Y.

Thanks for your time and generosity. 

Below are some words from Dylan's father, Jacob, regarding the specifics of Dylan's condition and the family's journey:

Since Dylan was born he has been through a lot of medical issues, ending up having a shunt put in his head at four months old due to excesive fluid collections. The past six years of his life everything has been pretty normal and he's been a healthy growing boy. This year my parents (guardians) had a vacation to Disney planned for the middle of march. The beginning of February Dylan was complaining of severe continuous headaches and sleeping more than usual. My nine year old daughter Aubrey had just got over a case of pnemonia, and it took a couple of different meds to cure her of it. When my parents took Dylan to doctors they tried the same meds to see if it would help his headaches, thinking he might have caught the same thing Aubrey had. After two attempts and no change for Dylan, his Papa demanded a M.R.I. for him as it was getting closer to vacation and we wanted to make sure he was better for it. On Feb. 24th Dylan had a C.T. scan to make sure there were no issues with his head. Two hours after the scan my mom was called at home by Dylan's P.C.P. and was informed that something was wrong, and Dylan should be rushed to Lebanon right away. Dylan's Papa (Dave) and myself left work immediatly to take Dylan up north. After a day of scans and tests we were told he had a blood clot or fluid in his head. Again! We were told that it might have something to do with his shunt, so they schedueled surgery right away to see what they could do.The first surgery the nerologist said he found a tumor in Dylan's head and believed it was cancerous. I never felt the way I did that day in my life, and was so confused about everything that was going on. After the next surgery to try to remove the rest of the tumor we were still unsure of what type of cancer it was and how much was left. Dylan went through three brain surgeries to resect as much as the cancer as possible, while still waiting on pathology results on what type of cancer. Three surgeries in three weeks time was really hard to go through with my seven year old son but all I could do was be as strong as him and be there for him. Everytime Dylan would shock us and the doctors by recovering so quickly and getting released within four to five days after brain surgery. Dylan has proved how brave and strong he really is going through what he did. He has already started his first chemotherapy treatments, and continues to be strong and have such a positive outlook on being cured from cancer. I just want to make every moment of Dylan's life enjoyable as he has delt with so much in such a short period of time. Please help me make his dreams and wishes come true for being such a strong little man he is. Dylan was expecting a fund already to add to his bank for days when he wasn't in school, for activities and spending  money, but has yet to recieve anything from it. I just want Dylan to get what he was promised and deserves to get. Thank you so much for taking the time to read his story and I appreciate every penny I wish I could give him myself. I would also like to thank every doctor and staff at Chad for saving my son's life as I can't say it enough. God Bless