Blog #11 Years with My Dylan

Recently I have mostly been talking of my youngest son Spencer and his journey through cancer treatment. Today I am going to pick back up with my oldest son Dylan. On blog #3, I finished by talking about Dylan's "second first steps" after his lawn mower accident.

Yes, my baby was back to walking at age two after a terrifying, and almost life taking lawn mower accident. This was miraculous and joyful, only we did not know the journey that lied ahead for this little guy. A life that he would begin that would challenge him every single day.

As Dylan grew, he needed several surgeries on his little leg. He had multiple skin grafts, and as he grew, they became increasingly tight and painful, pulling and stretching in a way that skin grafts just wouldnt do. They would do several z-plasties to loosen and release the scar tissue of his leg. This was just the beginning. Due to the injuries to his growth plates, his leg and foot did not grow as they should, and it was far behind his other leg.

Dylan was growing just as a young boy should, however, his injured leg was not keeping up. This leg was becoming shorter and shorter, and his foot was much smaller than the "normal" leg. In the beginning, it started as just a smaller foot, so i dove in and had to buy two pairs of shoes in different sizes to accommodate this problem, but over time, his leg became shorter, and this was a problem.

Before I dive straight into this crazy spiral of things to be done, lets skip to a story of Dylan at age 12. One normal afternoon, Dylan complained that he wasnt feeling well. His stomach was cramping and he had no energy. Not too strange. I checked him out and we would wait and see how he was the following day.

The following day, Dylan could not make the ride home on his bike from school. As soon as I got to him I knew something was wrong. He had horrible black circles under his eyes, he was very weak and sick, and he overall looked terrible. I walked upstairs with him to his room to find a trash can full of water bottles overflowing. This may not seem too strange to an everyday person, but I immediately said, "Did you drink all of these?!" He said, "Yes, I am so thirsty!"

Being a nurse, this cued my little brain into motion. I told him, "We need to go to the ER Dylan."

Now let me explain to you this. He had been through so much, he was terrified of needles and doctors and hospitals and everything and anything in that category. You havent seen anything until it takes 6 people to hold down a 12 year old boy who seems to be fighting for his life to get a routine vaccination at the pediatrician's office.

It must have taken an hour, but I finally got him into the car to take him to the ER. Upon arrival with check in, I told them his symptoms, I told them about the water, and I stated, "You need to check his blood sugar."

The immediately check his blood sugar and it read 456.

Within minutes the doctor was there stating that he was being diagnosed as a type one diabetic. They drew lab work, and started an IV.

I calmly explained to my son what this meant. His pancreas was no longer working to create the life depending insulin that his body needed. He would have to give himself injections every day, several times a day, as well as prick his finger, or he would die. I had to tell this to my 12 year old son.

After that, I went out into the parking lot, I sat down on a curb, and I cried. I cried because my baby that had already been through so much, who still had so much to go through, had yet another challenge that he would deal with for the rest of his life.

I called my mom and I sobbed. This wasnt fair. Why did this little boy have to deal with so much. Yes, this is manageable. Yes, people everywhere live with this everyday, but why do we have to add this to his already very full plate? I cried for my son. No mom wants any of this for their children.

Dylan was in diabetic keto acidosis. He was transferred by ambulance to Texas Children's Hospital in the medical center. He was placed on an insulin drip. He was there for about two weeks to stabilize everything and for him and the entire family to go to classes to learn to manage his diabetes, including diet, activities, and giving insulin.

Regardless, as I sat that day explaining to my 12 year old son his diagnosis and treatment, I watched him once again face life with an attitude that so many cannot find. He sat straight up and looked at me so bravely and said, "Mom, diabetes is just another obstacle to get through in my life, and I can do it."

This amazing boy was born to face obstacles head on one by one. He is strong, confident, and he faces a challenge with no fear. I have learned so much watching him face every obstacle in his life head on. This child was put in my life to teach me. I hope that we can all face challenges without fear, but with confidence like he does.

I was planning on writing today about more of Dylan's surgeries with his leg, but I think this is where I will stop today. He has now been living everyday with diabetes for more than 6 years, and he is just incredibly amazing. We need more Dylan's in this world.

Kiss your babies!