Name: Dylan
Diagnosis: Dylan was found to have acute myeloid leukemia in September 2008.
When Dylan's parents felt a lump on their 1-year-old son's abdomen, they knew something was not quite right. Heeding their parental intuition, they rushed their son to a local doctor, where an ultrasound showed the little boy had a deadly tumor on his kidney.
Dylan's mom remembered the shock she and her family felt at hearing their son had cancer. She said, "I couldn't believe it. And then we started crying. I never would have thought in a million years that he had cancer. We were devastated."
The family was quickly referred to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where doctors made the heart-breaking diagnosis—Dylan had acute myeloid leukemia.
At St. Jude:
Doctors at St. Jude sprang into action and started Dylan on a protocol of chemotherapy. He responded well to treatment, and his cancer went into remission. When his chemotherapy protocol was complete, Dylan underwent a transplant to receive his father's natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are cellular assassins that target cancerous or virus-infected cells. If Dylan had any remaining leukemia cells in his body, the NK cells' job was to eliminate them. Today, Dylan remains cancer-free.
Despite the obstacles her family has had to face, Dylan's mom is amazed at how Dylan and his sister adjusted to being away from home for his treatment. She said, "St. Jude is an amazing place. They want to be here. They're excited about being here, and they don't want to leave when it's time to leave. It's just amazing that there's a place like that."
Dylan is an energetic little boy who loves animals.
December 2009
