Dylan Beats Leukemia
Donation protected
On December 16, 2020, Dylan was unexpectedly diagnosed with leukemia. A few days earlier, Dylan had a corrective septorhinoplasty to fix a deviated septum that had been interfering with his breathing for years. The surgery went well, but the recovery did not -- Dylan's eyes swelled shut, his face was covered in dramatic bruises, and he was leaking fresh blood 5 days postop. At a routine follow up with his surgeon after the procedure, the surgeon decided to order some basic blood tests although expected everything to be normal. Later that day, the surgeon called and told us that we needed to pack an overnight bag and that Dylan would be directly admitted to the hospital; his white blood cell counts were astronomically high, meaning he had leukemia.
Dylan's journey since then has been a whirlwind. Dylan was admitted to the OHSU hematology malignancies and bone marrow transplant floor -- a floor we are incredibly lucky to have in our backyard. He has undergone multiple tests and procedures to determine a diagnosis, treatment, and cure. While the path ahead remains uncertain, Dylan will need a bone marrow transplant in the near future and will be out of work for ~12 months while he pursues treatment and recovery. While Dylan is a medical doctor and connected many dots early in his treatment course, I have learned over the last two weeks that our lives will look much different at least for the next year. A bone marrow transplant is pretty serious stuff and involves completely wiping out Dylan's immune system and other blood cells multiple times over the course of 12 months. This will make Dylan incredibly susceptible to infections and generally fatigued, and means that Dylan will have to be careful about how and where he spends his time. These changes have been and will be accompanied by many unexpected expenses. We orchestrated a move with the help of family and close friends during Dylan's first hospital stay as our previous charming but old apartment had an affinity for mold incompatible with a compromised immune system. In a few months, Dylan's residency contract will terminate and leave him without a paycheck and with different health insurance.
We have been blessed with the support of our family and friends as we have rearranged our lives to support Dylan's recovery. We have set our GoFundMe goal to $1 because the future is so uncertain. Any contribution made on this site will support Dylan's healing journey, including unexpected medical bills and moving expenses.
2020 has been a complete dumpster fire (please see this video), but we are incredibly grateful for some of the things it has brought about. While social distancing will be a mainstay of Dylan's recovery, we are grateful that social distancing measures, masks, and Fred Meyer grocery pickup have become common place, relieving us of the burden of waging our own miniature public health campaign to protect Dylan as he heals. Dylan received his MD and completed all standardized tests (the STEP exams) required to be a practicing physician. While Dylan's diagnosis has been devastating, we are so grateful that it came while we still live in Oregon among our friends and family, as we were set to move to Philadelphia this summer as Dylan pursues his training in dermatology. We are hoping that by this time next year, we can count Dylan's health among the things to be grateful for.
Much love,
Taylor (Dylan's partner)
Dylan's journey since then has been a whirlwind. Dylan was admitted to the OHSU hematology malignancies and bone marrow transplant floor -- a floor we are incredibly lucky to have in our backyard. He has undergone multiple tests and procedures to determine a diagnosis, treatment, and cure. While the path ahead remains uncertain, Dylan will need a bone marrow transplant in the near future and will be out of work for ~12 months while he pursues treatment and recovery. While Dylan is a medical doctor and connected many dots early in his treatment course, I have learned over the last two weeks that our lives will look much different at least for the next year. A bone marrow transplant is pretty serious stuff and involves completely wiping out Dylan's immune system and other blood cells multiple times over the course of 12 months. This will make Dylan incredibly susceptible to infections and generally fatigued, and means that Dylan will have to be careful about how and where he spends his time. These changes have been and will be accompanied by many unexpected expenses. We orchestrated a move with the help of family and close friends during Dylan's first hospital stay as our previous charming but old apartment had an affinity for mold incompatible with a compromised immune system. In a few months, Dylan's residency contract will terminate and leave him without a paycheck and with different health insurance.
We have been blessed with the support of our family and friends as we have rearranged our lives to support Dylan's recovery. We have set our GoFundMe goal to $1 because the future is so uncertain. Any contribution made on this site will support Dylan's healing journey, including unexpected medical bills and moving expenses.
2020 has been a complete dumpster fire (please see this video), but we are incredibly grateful for some of the things it has brought about. While social distancing will be a mainstay of Dylan's recovery, we are grateful that social distancing measures, masks, and Fred Meyer grocery pickup have become common place, relieving us of the burden of waging our own miniature public health campaign to protect Dylan as he heals. Dylan received his MD and completed all standardized tests (the STEP exams) required to be a practicing physician. While Dylan's diagnosis has been devastating, we are so grateful that it came while we still live in Oregon among our friends and family, as we were set to move to Philadelphia this summer as Dylan pursues his training in dermatology. We are hoping that by this time next year, we can count Dylan's health among the things to be grateful for.
Much love,
Taylor (Dylan's partner)
Organizer
Taylor Reiter
Organizer
Portland, OR