It was an odd and frightening sight. Their little baby was just delivered, yet was covered with a massive dark mark all along his back. Both legs and arms were scattered with large birthmarks as well. Dylan, it turned out, had been born with a rare skin disorder. It was called congenital melanocytic nevus.
The images of this condition are intense.
Here’s what mom Kara had to say about her son when he was born:
“When Dylan was born, over 80% of his body was covered in birthmarks—his back was completely black and bloody; his face, his arms and legs all covered in moles.”
This disorder, when less severe, will cause small moles and birthmarks. This was a very extreme case. One
in every 500,000 births this occurs. Poor little Dylan was covered with spots on 80% of his body!
While researching the condition, parents Kara and Nikki learned that one day the spots could develop into a deadly skin cancer. Unfortunately, the skin area was too huge to just remove the spots altogether.
But then an idea came to surface. Implants, like those used for breast enlargement, could be inserted beneath the healthy skin of Dylan, and then slowly expand with a saline over three months to stretch out the skin. This would be crucial before going further with treatment.
They went ahead and eventually the implants were removed, and then his huge birthmark was removed! All the excess skin was used to fill in the gap!
Another operation takes place every 3-6 months, and so far he has racked up 26 operations. But on the positive side, more than half of his moles have indeed been removed!
Here’s what his parents are saying about the procedure and progress:
“We hope to replace all of his moles with healthy skin in order to make his chances of getting skin cancer as low as possible. We’re trying to do what’s best and give him the longest and best life possible.”
It figures that the poor child who is now 4, has been receiving harsh comments from others who see him in public. So Dylan’s self-confidence is also being assisted with, while the parents will simply give out small cards describing the condition to people who stare or act rudely.
Such a strong little boy! He has gone through things that most adults will never go through. Kudos to his amazing parents for doing everything possible to give Dylan a good life!
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