It breaks my heart to imagine a young child undergoing cancer treatment. They fight so bravely and yet so many succumb in the end.
Fortunately, there are also remarkable and inspiring stories of children who have overcome extremely difficult situations.
Doctors discovered that Dylan Little, who was born nine years ago, had a problem right away. He had strange birthmarks all over his body, including dark red skin that covered his back.
The baby’s birthmarks, which covered about 80% of his fragile body, made it clear that he had a congenital melanocytic nevus, a fatal condition.
His mother, Kara, a flight attendant who works out of Atlanta, Georgia, was naturally shocked when she first saw her son.
There were no red flags during her pregnancy. Ultrasounds and tests went well.
Kara was stunned to discover that her newborn boy was nothing like she had imagined. Dylan’s entire body, including his face, arms, and legs, is covered in moles.
He was bleeding and his back was completely black. The largest wrapped around his shoulders, stomach, and back, starting at the top of his head and reaching down to the ground.
In 2016, she told Kidspot that there were hundreds of mole satellites, ranging in size from half a dollar to a pen-sized dot.
When Dylan was just five weeks old, he had a PET scan and MRI to check for melanoma. Dylan had a rare condition that affects only one in 20,000 individuals and caused him to have numerous melanin deposits in his brain.
The young boy began experiencing seizures at around 4 months of age due to “spots” in his brain. Doctors advised Dylan’s parents, Kara and Nikki, that he would need several procedures during his childhood and toddler years.
Patients with congenital melanocytic nevi are more likely to develop skin cancer. Therefore, they must pay close attention to how their birthmarks change.
The huge mole, which covered a significant portion of Dylan’s back, was recommended to be surgically removed. But since the child would require skin transplants from other parts of his body, it would not be an easy operation.
As Dylan grew older, his doctors decided to perform more difficult treatments. To encourage the formation of enough skin for the transplant, doctors had to insert implants similar to breast implants into the boy’s body.
After three months of implants, Dylan has developed more skin. A large mole was removed from the small boy’s back in the expectation that the surrounding skin would cover the scar.
Dylan has certainly had more than his fair share of surgeries by now. After 26 treatments, only almost half of the boy’s big birthmark remained.
Despite his mother Kara telling the Telegraph that “We are holding on to hope that the moles will never turn on and become cancerous”, he is still at risk of developing cancer at any time.
Depending on where it is in his body, “he has surgery every three to six months.” Dylan defied his doctors’ predictions, despite undergoing numerous surgeries and spending a long time in recovery.
According to Kara, “We’re trying to do what’s best for him, we want to give him the fullest and longest life we ​​can.”
Dylan never ceases to amaze me; he always has a big smile on his face, acts like he runs the hospital, and is known and loved by all the staff.
Dylan is well aware of his uniqueness among the other schoolchildren. In public, he often attracts admiring glances from others. If that happens, Dylan will just explain why he’s there.
Most people are kind and pleasant to him. But there were also times when individuals were really unkind.
Kara says: “One time when we were in a supermarket, the manager asked us to leave because the customer was upset that he had seen our child.”
However, Kara is absolutely right in her reluctance to hide her son or harbor any remorse toward him. I don’t want him to worry or feel like he has something to be ashamed of. She continued, noting that she had no qualms about taking him out. Anyone who wants to follow Dylan’s recovery can do so on a Facebook page set up by his parents.
Kara often updates everyone on the family’s daily activities. She also goes to great lengths to spread the word about Dylan’s illness.
Since “we don’t know what his future is at this point, it could be days, weeks, years or decades,” Kara noted in 2016, the family was doing everything they could to keep him alive.
Today’s Dylan Little Despite the fact that Dylan has undergone 33 procedures to date, he still maintains a positive outlook on life.
Baseball, fishing, and quality time with loved ones give him great joy. He is now nine years old and in the best physical shape of his life. Dylan still has moles, so it’s important to keep an eye on them to make sure nothing unusual happens.
Dylan continues to make occasional visits to the emergency department. So far, every surgical treatment has been successful. True to form, Dylan always fought and won.
I’m glad your parents can enjoy the satisfaction of seeing you blossom before their eyes. Look at this cute little baby.
Even if I had half your talents, I would be forever grateful. Dylan, please accept my prayers for bravery. Stay tenacious.
I’m afraid life isn’t fair. Dylan Little, who is only 9 years old, is now dealing with a hardship that no child his age should ever have to go through.
Every parent’s initial reaction is to try to make their child feel better. We hope the rest of his surgeries go well. By sharing Dylan’s story in his honor, please help us remember him.