I find it heartbreaking that any little child must endure the suffering caused by cancer. Despite their incredible bravery, a great number of them ultimately fail in their battle.
Thankfully, there are also some amazing and motivational stories of children who have overcome all challenges.
Almost immediately after Dylan Little’s birth nine years ago, doctors realised something was off. Except for the dark red skin on his back, his entire body was covered in rare birthmarks.
After his delivery, Dylan was taken immediately to the NICU. Unfortunately, birthmarks covering over 80% of the child’s small body quickly revealed that he had a serious condition known as Congenital Melanocytic Nevus.
His mother, Kara, an air traffic controller in Atlanta, Georgia, was obviously shocked to see her beloved son. During her pregnancy, there had been no sign of any problems. All of the checks and ultrasounds had gone according to plan.
But when Kara first met her son, he was completely different from what she had ever seen.
Dylan’s face, limbs, and legs were all covered in moles at birth, and his back was completely black and bleeding. The biggest one extended around his shoulders, tummy, and entire backside, starting above his ears and ending at his bottom. She clarified in 2016 that there were hundreds of satellites with moles that varied in size from half a dollar to the dot of a pen.
At the tender age of five weeks, Dylan had already had an MRI and a PET scan to check for melanoma. Dylan’s unique condition, which affects only one in 20,000 people, caused numerous melanin deposits in his brain.
Due to the “spots” in his brain, the infant boy started having seizures at the age of four months. Dylan’s parents, Kara and Nikki, were told by doctors that he would need several operations throughout his first few years of life.
Skin cancer is a serious danger for people with congenital melanocytic nevus. As a result, they need to constantly be very aware of their birthmarks.
The medical team wanted to surgically remove the enormous mole that covered most of Dylan’s back. However, the process would not be straightforward if skin from other parts of the baby’s body needed to be transplanted.
Dylan’s doctors decided to proceed with increasingly complex operations as he grew older. To enable the youngster to produce enough skin for transplantation, doctors had to put breast-like implants in his body.
Dylan gained more skin as a result of carrying the implants for three months. The idea was to cover the area with enough additional skin after the huge mole on the young boy’s back was removed.
It’s safe to say that Dylan has had his share of surgeries so far. After 26 operations, around half of the boy’s massive mole was removed.
He might get cancer at any time, according to his mother Kara, but “we’re holding onto hope that the moles never turn on and become cancerous.” “Depending on the part of his body, he has surgery every three to six months.”
Despite all of his surgeries and the time he has spent recovering, Dylan is still a happy little child, proving his doctors wrong so far.
Kara told the Telegraph, “We want to give him the longest, fullest life possible, and we are trying to do what’s best for him.”
“Every nurse knows and loves Dylan, who never fails to amaze me. He always has a smile on his face and seems to own the hospital.”
Dylan is conscious of how different he looks from other children. Strangers often stop and stare at him while he is out in public. When that happens, Dylan simply tells them why he made the appearance. In general, people get along well with him. On the other hand, there have been cases of extreme cruelty.
“It was really upsetting when a store manager asked us to leave a supermarket because one of their customers was upset about seeing our child,” Kara recalled.
However, Kara is right to not hide or feel embarrassed about her boy.
“I’m not scared to take him out at all, and I don’t want him to feel anxious or ashamed of anything,” she clarified.
For the purpose of tracking Dylan’s recuperation, Dylan’s parents created a Facebook profile. Kara gives regular updates on the family’s well-being. She is also working hard to spread the word about Dylan’s condition.
Kara stated in 2016 that “we are doing everything we can to keep him with us because we don’t know what his future holds at this point, he could have days, weeks, years, or decades.”
Even though Dylan has undergone 33 surgeries thus far, he continues to have a positive outlook on life. He likes to go fishing, play baseball, and spend time with his loved ones.
At nine years old, he is healthier than ever and is enjoying life to the fullest. However, Dylan still has a few moles, which must be regularly monitored to make sure a positive change doesn’t happen.
Unfortunately, Dylan continues to be admitted to the hospital on a regular basis. Thus far, however, all operations proceeded according to plan. Like the warrior he is, Dylan has overcome challenges. Just look at what a cute child you have grown into today.
Your parents must be incredibly proud to be able to share this life with you and see you grow into a man. If I had even half of your superpowers, I would be very appreciative. May the Lord lavishly bless your courage, Dylan! Keep trying!
Unfortunately, life is not fair. A brave 9-year-old named Dylan Little is fighting a battle that no one should ever have to face.Parents will do whatever it takes to make their children happy again because they don’t want to see them in agony. We sincerely hope that the rest of his business is successful.
In order to honour this young warrior, kindly share Dylan’s story.