Dylan's Journey

I have been debating if I wanted to do this online donation for my son Dylan.  After talking to many friends , I finally made my decision to move forward with the donations for my son.  My son as most of you know has a disease called FSGS.  Although we were trying with experimental medication to slow down the progress of his condition all our attempts failed and he now has 100% kidney loss.  I feel the worst is behind us but the future is still undetermined.  He currently needs dialysis three times a week for four hours each time.  He battles with blood pressure issues and fever, but he is under very good care.  We will be going to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital to begin the process of getting on the donor list for a kidney and it’s all very scary and confusing somedays.  But we believe in being positive and not letting ourselves have any doubts that he will find a match.  My son Dylan just graduated from Pocono Mt High School this year his plan was to go to Florida for a year and then start school.  He has always wanted to be an engineer and he loves Temple University.  Although everything is on hold I believe that he still has a bright future ahead and will achieve everything he has always wanted.  If you know my son, he has great confidence in himself and he is a very funny guy.  He loves football and misses playing sports a lot but that will come in time too.  His friends nicknamed him Dyl-bag, but I always preferred Dili-Pickles. Dylan has never cease to amaze me, he was born in a blizzard and then waited to come out on April fool’s day.  I have received numerous letters from his teachers over the years at how bright, comical and intelligent he is and that he is a great debater.  Always wondered where he got that..... He was popular in school and played football for 2 years but after enough concussion’s he decided the game wasn't for him anymore.  In the first grade, he attended catholic school, he came home one day and he was angry about something and went into the bathroom and when he came out he had marker on his forehead.  I didn't know what the mark was because he used a yellow highlighter, but it was a cross.  I asked him why did you do that he replied, 'Mom I wasn't baptized catholic so they won't let me carry a candle at mass, so I baptized myself."  So even at the age of 5 he was determined to achieve whatever he needed.  The reason I am starting this fund, which needs to remain in my name due to social security and tax purposes is because he can no longer work.  Yes, there are expenses that are not getting covered and all’s I can say is every dime goes to my son.  I just don't want him to not have to worry anymore about anything.  Let me just say this, when we found out about his disease of FSGS which was September 22, 2015.  Although than we knew he may need a transplant someday, we just thought it would be years from now, but  when we got to the car and I was not handling it as well as him.  I looked over at him and with only one small tear rolling down his cute little cheek, he said to me..."Mom how am I going to afford all this?".  That is why I made the decision to ask for help for him and I know my son and myself have learned one thing out of all of this, for all the love and kindness that everyone has showed us thus far.  We will never forget and always pay it forward from this day on.