It pains me that any little child has to endure the suffering caused by cancer. Even though they fought with such incredible bravery, a great number of them ultimately fail.
There are, thankfully, also some heartwarming and amazing stories of children who have overcome all challenges.
As soon as Dylan Little was born nine years ago, doctors recognised something was amiss. Except for his back, which had dark red skin, his entire body was covered in rare birthmarks.
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Dylan was delivered and taken immediately to the intensive care unit. Unfortunately, the child’s birthmarks covered around 80% of his small body, indicating that he had a serious condition known as Congenital Melanocytic Nevus.
The sight of her beloved kid naturally shocked his mother, Kara, an air traffic controller in Atlanta, Georgia. Nothing about her pregnancy had seemed out of the ordinary. Everything had gone according to plan with the exams and ultrasounds.
But Kara couldn’t have thought her son would be like this when she first met him.
Dylan was born with moles all over his face, limbs, and legs, and his back was completely black and bleeding. The biggest one extended from above his ears to his bottom, travelling around his shoulders, tummy, and entire rear end. In 2016, she revealed, “There were hundreds of satellites with moles that were as small as a pen dot or half the size of a dollar.”
Dylan was just five weeks old when he had already had an MRI and a PET scan to check for melanoma. Dylan’s rare disease, which only affects one in 20,000 individuals, caused him to have many melanin deposits in his brain.
The “spots” in the young boy’s brain caused him to start having seizures at the age of four months. During Dylan’s first few years of life, doctors told his parents, Kara and Nikki, that he would need several procedures.
Patients with congenital melanocytic nevus have a high risk of skin cancer. They must consequently always be very aware of their birthmarks.
The medical team wanted to remove the big mole that covered most of Dylan’s back surgically. It would not be an easy process, though, if skin from other parts of the baby’s body needed to be transplanted.
As Dylan got older, his doctors decided to proceed with more complex treatments. Medical professionals had to put breast-like implants in the boy’s body so that he could produce enough skin for a transplant.
Dylan put on extra skin because he carried the implants for three months. Following the removal of the massive mole on the little boy’s back, the area needed to be covered with enough additional skin.
To date, Dylan has experienced a fair number of operations. Following 26 treatments, around half of the boy’s massive mole has been removed.
His mother, Kara, stated, “We’re hoping the moles never become active and cancerous, but he could get cancer at any time.” “He undergoes surgery every three to six months, depending on the body part involved.”
To date, Dylan has proven his doctors wrong by being a happy young child despite all of his surgeries and the time he has spent recovering from them.
“We want to give him the longest, fullest life possible, and we are trying to do what’s best for him,” Kara told the Telegraph.
“Dylan never ceases to amaze me; he never fails to smile and seems to own the hospital, as all the nurses know and adore him.”
Dylan knows that he looks different from other children. He is often stopped and stared at by strangers while he is out in public. When that happens, Dylan simply tells them why he’s there. In general, people are friendly towards him. In other cases, however, people have been really harsh.
“It was really distressing when the manager of a supermarket asked us to leave because one of their patrons was upset about seeing our child,” Kara recalled.
Kara is correct, though, in refusing to hide or feel guilty about her boy.
“I don’t want him to feel anxious or like he should feel guilty about anything,” she clarified, adding, “I’m not scared to take him out at all.”
In order for everyone to follow Dylan’s recuperation, his parents created a Facebook profile. Kara often updates the family on their well-being. She is also working very hard to increase awareness of Dylan’s condition.
“We are doing everything we can to keep him with us because we don’t know what his future holds at this time; it could be days, weeks, years, or decades,” Kara stated in 2016.
Dylan still has a positive outlook on life despite having had 33 surgeries so far. He likes to play baseball, go fishing, and spend time with his loved ones.
At nine years old, he is leading a full life and is in better health than ever. To make sure a positive transformation doesn’t happen, Dylan still has a few moles, which need to be regularly monitored.
Regretfully, Dylan continues to be hospitalised on a regular basis. But thus far, all the operations proceeded according to plan. Dylan has overcome obstacles like the resilient person he is. Check see this cute child you’ve grown into today.
It must fill your parents with pride to be able to share this life with you and see you grow into a man. I would be very appreciative if I had even half of your abilities. Dylan, may you be generously rewarded for your courage by the Lord! Don’t stop trying!
Life is unfortunately unjust. Dylan Little, a brave 9-year-old, is fighting a battle that no one should ever have to face.No parent wants to watch their child suffer, and they will do everything in their power to make them happy again. We sincerely hope the rest of his business travels smoothly.
Please tell Dylan’s tale so that we can honour this young warrior.
