At age 5, Dylan was having trouble with balance, vision, headaches, and irritability. After a visit to the Emergency Room, Dylan was diagnosed with a type of brain cancer, medulloblastoma. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor and received chemotherapy for several months following surgery. If recovering from brain surgery wasn’t hard enough for a 5-year-old, Dylan experienced the equivalent of a stroke during his surgery requiring extensive rehabilitation therapy.

But this wasn’t the end of Dylan’s treatment. Unfortunately, the subtype of medulloblastoma that Dylan was diagnosed with – anaplastic – is very aggressive. Dylan has endured the gamut of treatments including two brain surgeries, one spinal surgery, two shunt placements, high-dose chemo and stem-cell transplant, focal as well as whole-brain radiation (twice), gamma knife radiation, hedgehog inhibitor and intrathecal therapy, vaccine therapy (in Belgium), and is currently trying another chemo cocktail for palliative extension of his life. He is almost out of options.

Dylan is currently on hospice and his father Eric has come to terms with the realization that Dylan’s outlook is grim, however he’s found that sharing Dylan’s story and his incredible fighting spirit inspires all who read about his little soldier. He understands that hope is contagious and wants others to know about his karate, animal-loving son who is a “ferocious hugger” and of his unconditional love for all. Dylan has taught his family and many others what is truly important in life – to love unconditionally, to fight for life at all costs, to be brave in the face of darkness and even death, and to enjoy every cone of ice cream.

Hero’s quote: “Remember just to love.”

Website: http://dylan.ericdavid.info

Information provided by Eric David, Dylan’s Dad
January 2013

Sadly, Dylan passed away on May 22, 2013.