When Dylan was six weeks old, he started to develop some vision problems and his mother, Katie, noticed his lack of an appetite. Concerned for his health, Katie took him to their nearest hospital in Camarillo, CA. Dylan was immediately sent for an MRI. The results came as a terrible surprise to Katie; Dylan had an optic nerve tumor, known as Optic Pathway Glioma.

“When the doctor told me the news, I fell to the floor,” said Katie. “Hearing the words ‘brain tumor’ and your child’s name in the same sentence, is not something a parent wants to hear.”

With the condition that Dylan was in, the local hospital couldn’t attend to his needs. The doctors told his family that his only hope for survival was treatment offered at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. For his family in California, flying across the country was an unnerving proposition. “We knew that we had to get Dylan out there but had no idea on how we could afford the costs,” said Katie.

To help Dylan’s family with the traveling costs, his family was referred to Compass to Care by their social worker. Compass to Care has helped his family with all travel arrangements, including airfare, so that he can get access to the best treatment possible.

“With all that’s been said, Dylan has had about 300 experiences in the hospital,” said Katie. “All the doctor visits and the traveling has put a strain on our finances. Compass to Care’s assistance has allowed us to focus more on Dylan’s treatments and less on how we are going to pay to get there. We are very humbled by the outpouring of support.”