All-Star Dyllan

“Dyllan and I appreciate the help from the bottom of our hearts. No words can really show how much we appreciate this blessing. Without the help from everyone at this organization, this could not have happened for us.” All-Star Dyllan’s mom, LaKesha

Dyllan is happiest when he’s in the water. He loves watching professional sports in the town he lives in and is active in the school band. Just before his freshman year of high school, his time in the pool came to a halting stop when he learned he had cancer.

Dyllan was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in June of 2025, a cancer of the lymphatic system that is most common in young adults and seniors. 

His mom, LaKesha, remembers the symptoms that led to this horrible diagnosis.

It was LaKesha who got a cold first. Then Dyllan started coughing and running a fever. She was reluctant to take time away from work, so she gave him some over-the-counter medicine and, when she started to feel better, she thought that he would, too.

That didn’t happen. The doctor suggested allergy medication, but Dyllan’s symptoms persisted. They went back to the doctor, and his heart rate was 130 beats per minute. This was high and concerning. They were told to go to the hospital. 

“We were about to go out of town,” Lakesha said. “We had a cousin who didn’t have long to live, and we wanted to see him. But of course, we couldn’t go.”

Dyllan had suffered from asthma as a child, and LaKesha’s first thought was that it was that. However, given the doctor’s concern about his heart rate, she drove him to the children’s hospital, where they thought it was pneumonia. An X-ray showed a white cloud close to his heart.

The male nurse at SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital became emotional, which caused LaKesha further concern. It was when the doctor said they thought Dyllan had cancer that LaKesha broke down. She remembers composing herself for her son.

Dyllan was immediately taken to surgery to remove a lymph node from his neck, to insert a port, and test his bone marrow to determine how far the cancer had advanced. The surgery lasted eight hours. Meanwhile, LaKesha waited, researching all she could about his illness. They stayed in the hospital for two weeks, where Dyllan underwent another surgery and five blood transfusions.

Once they got out of the hospital, Dyllan wasn’t out of the woods yet. Chemotherapy and constant blood work were next. Chemo treatments lasted 6-8 weeks, every other week.

Watching Dyllan go through chemo was difficult, and LaKesha said she worried about his mental health. He would go into the hospital in good spirits and come out a different person, she said.

Chemo didn’t allow for school or extracurricular activities and made Dyllan feel sick and exhausted. A man of few words, Dyllan said that being at home was depressing, and he dreamed of the day when he could once again get in the pool, play football, and run track again. During the weeks when he wasn’t in treatment, he was forced to play catch-up on his schooling.

Between the long hospital stay and caring for Dyllan through treatment, LaKesha had no choice but to leave her job.

LaKesha is the sole provider for Dyllan and her. Six months prior to his diagnosis, she had gotten a job in the Human Resources department at a healthcare clinic. 

“I know how to survive with a little bit of nothing,” LaKesha said. “I’ve lived like this before when I was younger. Also, I researched and informed myself so that I could make the right decisions. I asked the doctor about his treatment, and it was clear there was no way I could work.”

Without an income to pay bills, LeKesha worried about falling behind on rent, their car payment, and other expenses. Their social worker told them about Pinky Swear, so she applied for help with the car payment.

“When [Pinky Swear] paid my car loan, I was able to get groceries and clothes for Dyllan,” LaKesha said. “He is 6 feet tall, and he wears size 12 shoes, so it is not like I am buying little kid clothes. He is so tall and slim, I must go to particular stores. It was very helpful to have a generic gift card as opposed to a gift card somewhere specific.”

LaKesha said Dyllan ate mostly hospital food at first, but he didn’t like it, so having some money helped her buy him extra things.

“He doesn’t get to see his friends a lot, so when he does, I like to take them out to get pizza,” she said.

Pinky Swear also sent the family an Orange Envelope, which they were able to use for groceries, as well as games and cards to keep Dyllan entertained. 

“Receiving help changed my perspective,” Lakesha said. “I now know that there are people out there who really help people in need. People who don’t even know you; they care. It has taught me that it is OK to ask for help when you need it. Also, childhood cancer can happen to anybody.”

LaKesha described Pinky Swear donors as “amazing people,” who think of others and take the time to donate to people like her and Dyllan.

“You are such a blessing. There are no words to appreciate what you guys have done,” she said.

Unfortunately for Dyllan, his cancer journey doesn’t end here. In February of 2026, he and his mom learned that his cancer was back. We never want families to experience childhood cancer at all, let alone twice. It is heartbreaking. We will update Dyllan’s story as it deems fit.