Dylan's Recovery: Spinal Fusion
Donation protected
Please help Dylan recover from an emergency spinal fusion, now known to be caused by seizures after suffering months of mystery injuries and hospital visits.
Thanks for taking the time to visit Dylan's GoFundMe page! I'm his little sister, Kylie. I'm starting this campaign to help my brother get through the most difficult and painful period of his life because I love him and this was all I could think to do to help. I'd like your help, too.
[My brother and me, ft. a banana mustache.]
For those of you that have been around him, you already know Dylan is a funny, friendly, helpful and kind person. You may know that he is a father of two guinea pigs and a long-term resident of West Philadelphia who grow up in Clayton and Mullica Hill, NJ.
You may also already know that he has suffered many serious injuries recently with unknown causes. The most recent was an emergency T11-L3 Laminectomy and Spinal Fusion in mid-October, where he finally learned the cause of the injuries, as his best friend witnessed him having a seizure.
For those that don't know yet, please read below.
For the last 4 months, Dylan has suffered a series of confusing and serious injuries. Initially, these injuries were a bit of a mystery, since Dylan was a healthy 30 year old and had no previous history of a seizure disorder.
He was diagnosed with six vertebral compression fractures in late June, which required 4 days in the hospital, a back brace, and months to recover. Unable to recall how he had been injured, they were attributed to a fall while sleepwalking.
Three weeks later, he suffered a fracture of the right humerus (shoulder), requiring a sling and months of physical therapy. This was also assumed to be due to sleepwalking.
[Shoulder fracture]
Dylan woke up one day in September with large, painful bruises on his thighs that were attributed to perhaps slamming into the bathroom sink while, you guessed it, sleepwalking.
A severely chewed tongue not long after was thought to maybe be due to a sneezing fit while asleep.
Dylan was still in physical therapy for his shoulder injury in October, and he was adjusting to life with random, painful injuries with no memory of what may have caused them - assuming he had recently taken up an active sleepwalking habit.
[Dylan (center) and friends a day before his first confirmed seizure.]
On October 18th, Dylan's close childhood friend and housemate Ed witnessed him seize - just one day after spending a normal, fun day in Asbury Park to celebrate Ed's 30th birthday and see one of their favorite bands together. After waking up from a 30-40 minute blackout in the most severe pain of his life, Dylan crawled to his room and called Ed. While talking to Ed, Dylan became confused and disoriented and began having a seizure. He bit his tongue and foamed at the mouth. Ed was horrified and immediately called 911 and contacted me.
Dylan had to have an emergency T11 to L3 Laminectomy and fusion. Dylan had fractured several vertebrae and severely damaged the L1 vertebrae, which was pushing on his spinal cord causing severe pain and nerve damage. The surgery involved rods and screws in his spine and multiple incisions requiring 62 staples. Dylan spent nearly a week recovering in the Penn Presbyterian Hospital post-surgery.
After many MRIs, CAT scans, recounting of incidents over the past few months and various other tests - the doctors at Penn Presbyterian felt confident that all of Dylan's injuries have stemmed from seizures, not sleep walking. Dylan blacks out during the events, so he has no memory of them happening. Ed was the first person to witness one. They are still unsure of the cause of his seizures, but have prescribed an anticonvulsant to attempt to prevent until we know more about his diagnosis.
Recovery from this kind of surgery is a long road requiring a lot of new medications, doctors visits, physical therapy, time and perseverance.
After the initial fall this past June, Dylan was unable to do any heavy lifting and was attending multiple weekly doctors appointments and physical therapy sessions, and had to turn down an offer for a new career opportunity. Being out of work for this extended period of time, Dylan has already depleted his personal savings and now it looks like he will have considerably more expenses than before.
That is why I am asking for your help in supporting Dylan through this difficult and painful period. Luckily, insurance has covered a lot of costs, but won't cover all of them, or his ongoing living costs during recovery and the continued search for the cause and management of his seizures.
Dylan is currently staying with and being cared for by his loving grandparents, Jim and Judie Caroleo. His guinea pigs, Pum and Pibb, are living in his bedroom and being tended to by his childhood friend and housemate Ed Luzier, who called the ambulance for him. He hopes to move back in as soon as he is strong enough. He is recovering well and happy to finally know what was causing all of his injuries.
If you can't contribute, you can still help by sharing this GoFundMe campaign with any people you know who may wish to help.
I would really appreciate it! Thank you for taking the time to read Dylan's story.
[Pum and Pibb, fans of carrots.]
Thanks for taking the time to visit Dylan's GoFundMe page! I'm his little sister, Kylie. I'm starting this campaign to help my brother get through the most difficult and painful period of his life because I love him and this was all I could think to do to help. I'd like your help, too.
[My brother and me, ft. a banana mustache.] For those of you that have been around him, you already know Dylan is a funny, friendly, helpful and kind person. You may know that he is a father of two guinea pigs and a long-term resident of West Philadelphia who grow up in Clayton and Mullica Hill, NJ.
You may also already know that he has suffered many serious injuries recently with unknown causes. The most recent was an emergency T11-L3 Laminectomy and Spinal Fusion in mid-October, where he finally learned the cause of the injuries, as his best friend witnessed him having a seizure.
For those that don't know yet, please read below.
For the last 4 months, Dylan has suffered a series of confusing and serious injuries. Initially, these injuries were a bit of a mystery, since Dylan was a healthy 30 year old and had no previous history of a seizure disorder.
He was diagnosed with six vertebral compression fractures in late June, which required 4 days in the hospital, a back brace, and months to recover. Unable to recall how he had been injured, they were attributed to a fall while sleepwalking.
Three weeks later, he suffered a fracture of the right humerus (shoulder), requiring a sling and months of physical therapy. This was also assumed to be due to sleepwalking.
[Shoulder fracture]Dylan woke up one day in September with large, painful bruises on his thighs that were attributed to perhaps slamming into the bathroom sink while, you guessed it, sleepwalking.
A severely chewed tongue not long after was thought to maybe be due to a sneezing fit while asleep.
Dylan was still in physical therapy for his shoulder injury in October, and he was adjusting to life with random, painful injuries with no memory of what may have caused them - assuming he had recently taken up an active sleepwalking habit.
[Dylan (center) and friends a day before his first confirmed seizure.]On October 18th, Dylan's close childhood friend and housemate Ed witnessed him seize - just one day after spending a normal, fun day in Asbury Park to celebrate Ed's 30th birthday and see one of their favorite bands together. After waking up from a 30-40 minute blackout in the most severe pain of his life, Dylan crawled to his room and called Ed. While talking to Ed, Dylan became confused and disoriented and began having a seizure. He bit his tongue and foamed at the mouth. Ed was horrified and immediately called 911 and contacted me.
Dylan had to have an emergency T11 to L3 Laminectomy and fusion. Dylan had fractured several vertebrae and severely damaged the L1 vertebrae, which was pushing on his spinal cord causing severe pain and nerve damage. The surgery involved rods and screws in his spine and multiple incisions requiring 62 staples. Dylan spent nearly a week recovering in the Penn Presbyterian Hospital post-surgery.
After many MRIs, CAT scans, recounting of incidents over the past few months and various other tests - the doctors at Penn Presbyterian felt confident that all of Dylan's injuries have stemmed from seizures, not sleep walking. Dylan blacks out during the events, so he has no memory of them happening. Ed was the first person to witness one. They are still unsure of the cause of his seizures, but have prescribed an anticonvulsant to attempt to prevent until we know more about his diagnosis.
Recovery from this kind of surgery is a long road requiring a lot of new medications, doctors visits, physical therapy, time and perseverance.
After the initial fall this past June, Dylan was unable to do any heavy lifting and was attending multiple weekly doctors appointments and physical therapy sessions, and had to turn down an offer for a new career opportunity. Being out of work for this extended period of time, Dylan has already depleted his personal savings and now it looks like he will have considerably more expenses than before.
That is why I am asking for your help in supporting Dylan through this difficult and painful period. Luckily, insurance has covered a lot of costs, but won't cover all of them, or his ongoing living costs during recovery and the continued search for the cause and management of his seizures.
Dylan is currently staying with and being cared for by his loving grandparents, Jim and Judie Caroleo. His guinea pigs, Pum and Pibb, are living in his bedroom and being tended to by his childhood friend and housemate Ed Luzier, who called the ambulance for him. He hopes to move back in as soon as he is strong enough. He is recovering well and happy to finally know what was causing all of his injuries.
If you can't contribute, you can still help by sharing this GoFundMe campaign with any people you know who may wish to help.
I would really appreciate it! Thank you for taking the time to read Dylan's story.
[Pum and Pibb, fans of carrots.]Organizer
Kylie Parks
Organizer
Oaklyn, NJ
