Help Dylan’s Fight For His Life

On November 12th our world was turned upside down when my special needs disabled brother Dylan was rushed to Mercy Hospital in acute respiratory failure, fighting for every breath. The doctors told us that without a ventilator, he wouldn’t survive. Since that moment, Dylan has spent two months on a ventilator in the ICU, fighting every single day for his life. In early December, the doctors made the difficult decision to perform a tracheostomy, adding an airway to assist his breathing alongside the ventilator.

Dylan is the strongest person I know. He refused to give up. He’s faced infections, a collapsed lung, double pneumonia, blood clots, and countless complications, yet his will to live has never faltered. Each day, despite the odds stacked against him and his inability to speak, Dylan shows us just how hard he’s fighting to survive. But Dylan's fight is far from over.

On top of unthinkable emotional distress, the financial strain is overwhelming. Throughout this life-or-death situation my mom lost one of her jobs. My parents alternate shifts to make sure one of them is always by Dylan’s side while the other works then they spend the night sleeping in a chair next to Dylan’s bedside advocating for Dylan as he is nonverbal and cannot communicate for a few hours before starting the process over the next day.

My parents are working tirelessly to support their family, while caring my brother around the clock in his battle for his life but they just can’t manage this alone anymore.

The road to recovery after a tracheostomy and relying on a ventilator at home is a journey no family should have to walk alone. It’s not only physically and emotionally exhausting, but the financial strain is nearly impossible to bear. The cost of medical equipment, home care, ongoing therapy, and medications can quickly reach tens of thousands of dollars, and that’s before considering the loss of income when a loved one needs constant care.

Please, if you are able, donate, share with your networks, and keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. From the depths of our hearts, thank you for being a part of Dylan’s fight, and for helping to lift our family through this incredibly challenging time.

With love and gratitude,

Brittney