8/6/2017
Location:
MUSC Children's Hospital
Charleston SC
Description of Event (Please share as much info as you can):
I was contacted by his parents about 2 months ago and was told his situation. This will be a surprise visit to his room. Below is some of his story.
Hello, Shawn! Dylan is now at MUSC undergoing Chemo and Radiation. He will be celebrating a "new biirthday" Monday as he receives the cord blood stem cells in his Transplant.
Dylan is your typical fourteen year old boy. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends and is a very avid gamer. In early February, Dylan was getting ready for a birthday party when he lost consciousness. His parents rushed him to the hospital for what they thought were just lingering effects from a typical cold virus. Little did they know that this would be the first of what turned out to be a series of blood tests and ultimately a bone marrow biopsy. In just a few short weeks, they received the news that no family wants to hear. Dylan was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Within days of the diagnosis, a treatment plan was put in place. On March 27, Dylan entered the hospital for a port to be placed and for the aggressive, inpatient chemotherapy to begin.
For the next few months, Dylan will be unable to leave the hospital due to the high risk of infection. As you can imagine, this will take a toll on his entire family. While both of his parents, Darren and Laurie, will alternate being at the hospital full time, it will be a struggle to maintain the household and keep life as normal as possible for Dylan’s younger brother, Landon. Aside from the obvious medical expenses that are already pouring in, there will be the added expense of traveling to and from the hospital. Anyone who has a friend or family member that has battled any kind of cancer knows that a support system is crucial to keeping things on track. We ask that you join us in support of this family and we thank you more than we can say for your support.
On April 4, 2017, the family found out that Dylan's AML genetic markers place him in the intermediate risk category in terms of likelihood of recurrence, so he will require bone marrow transplant at MUSC after his chemo at Richland Children's Hospital. There is a waiting period between pre- and post-transplant treatment during which he won't be hospitalized but he will have to live in the area within short driving distance of MUSC. So, the family will have to pay for extra rent and living expenses to stay in Charleston. We appreciate the continued prayers and support. Remember, no donation is too small! If you'd like to explore donating bone marrow, please click https://bethematch.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Did this event support a charity? If yes, which charity?:
No.
Event Length (Hours):
2
Carolina Garrison Members in Attendance:
1. Shawn Cantey (HWT)
2. Chris Prestero (TX)
3. Sheryl Prestero (TK)
4. Tom Tilmon (Kylo Ren) Thank you for making the long drive from Wilmington NC to come to this.
5. Cort Stayton was not there, but he graciously donated the helmet.
Handlers:
1. Matthew Prestero (Chris and Sheryl's son)
Check out some of the event photos below:
Photo was taken after Dylan had rang the bell saying he was having a good day.
