Prayers for Dylan

No child should ever get cancer, not just once but twice. Just four years ago, after a long battle, then 11-year old Dylan defeated Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; now the beast has returned for round two.

Dylan had been enjoying “regular” teenage things like baseball, racing and riding dirt bikes, surfing and skateboarding, while anxiously looking forward to getting his learner’s permit to drive and getting a part time job. Dylan was complaining of swollen lymph nodes and knee pain for about 3 weeks, however due to heavy scheduling at his oncologist, he couldn’t be seen until March 3rd. To ease their minds, Dylan’s mom, Heather, brought him to the ER on two different occasions to check his bloodwork and have x-rays taken. During both these visits, all the results came out well and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At his scheduled visit to the oncologist on March 3rd is when everything changed, and they learned Dylan had relapsed. Dylan and his family describe the current range of emotions as a sickening mix of anger, sadness, disbelief, and numbness.

The course of treatment for relapse is considerably heavier than the 40 month battle that Dylan fought from 8-11 years old. During his first 29 days of induction his white cells were leveled to zero, making him incredibly susceptible to any type of infection. Blood and platelet transfusions have been extremely depleting, and he also quickly lost the long, flowing locks that he died pink on his younger sister's request. The abrupt return to looking “like a cancer kid” was particularly heavy for Dylan.

On April 10th, Dylan was deemed to be in remission; while this represents a milestone on his road to recovery, he still has a very long way to go. Doctors have initiated immunotherapy which will require Dylan to be hooked up to a backpack for 28 days at a time 24/7 in the hopes of keeping the cancer cells away while waiting for a bone marrow transplant.

Dylan’s Mom, Heather, has had to take leave from her job to provide full-time care at home. Due to complications with the “port-o-cath” (commonly installed next to the heart of cancer patients for IV medication), Dylan has had to be fitted with a more intrusive Hickman line. The Hickman needs to be flushed daily to ensure the continuous safe infusion of immunotherapy treatment and that the lines stay free of infection. Heather, who has needed to become an instant expert at administering all of this technology says, “besides the skills I’ve acquired as a nurse over the past seven years, I feel like I’ve earned a doctor’s degree without the pay”.

Heather is a single mother of four; Dylan has two older sisters, Kaloni and Kaeli, and a 10 year old sister named Mya. The family is pulling together, particularly to make sure that Mya is taken care of, but this is uniquely straining for a family who is still recovering from the shared trauma of Dylan’s first battle. Dylan’s care is very costly, as are additional expenses like meal delivery, especially while stuck in the hospital for weeks on end, the 77 mile drive one way to the hospital, parking, gas, and all the expensive costs of living they endure. If you are able to help, this family is extremely deserving and would be incredibly grateful for your support. Many thanks.