LETTERS OF SUPPORT DELIVERED

 

 "DYLAN SUPER STRONG"

 

Imagine being in 7th grade and

having to fight cancer and a gang of bullies,

all at the same time! :(

 

          Thirteen-year-old Dylan has been battling cancer since he was 9 years old. He was diagnosed in 2012 with Stage 4 Ewings Sarcoma, or bone cancer, and is right now undergoing yet another round of chemo treatment which will continue indefinitely and makes him feel even sicker. This courageous boy who likes to rap has tagged himself on social media as #DylanSuperStrong and we concur!!!

 

          Every day, Dylan fights pain and loneliness. He walks with a severe limp because a large tumor destroyed his pelvic bone and he has  "horrible" nerve pain in his feet. Just last summer, part of his right lung was removed after doctors discovered a nodule. Because of his illness, Dylan has not been able to attend school for 4 years and is homeschooled. Chemo and radiation treatments have lowered his immune system and made his bones brittle.

 

          Dylan and his family moved to a new neighborhood in New Jersey last year where the family unfortunately became the target of gang violence after the parents' refusal to allow drugs and criminal activities near their yard and around their 5 children. Attempts to manage this through responsible reporting to authorities and discussions with other parents has not stopped the bullies from reaching Dylan when they get the chance.

 

          The boys and girls that are bullying Dylan are 15 and 16 years old and sometimes hide their identities by covering their faces with scarves. They have shown up at his home to call him out to fight, saying,"Hit him, hit him! Knock him on his hip where the tumor is so he can't get back up" and taunting him with ugly words like "You don't have cancer, you're just fat."

 

          The family has installed cameras on their property and padlocked their fence gate. Dylan does not leave the yard except to be driven to the hospital for treatments or when family takes him somewhere special like to go fishing or help dad work an odd job. The parents can not afford to move away from this situation. Sometimes, they need help just to buy food for their family. With so much isolation between the cancer and bullies, Dylan does not have even one friend to share laughs or play with. He used to love to run and play outdoors, ride his bike and quads.

 

Dylan recently told his mom, "What is the sense of fighting (the cancer), Mom, no one besides you guys want me here... what kind of life is that?"

Dylan is at risk for giving up his fight, his will, to live. TIME IS URGENT! REACH OUT AND BE-A-FRIEND TO DYLAN!

 

The organization’s formal legal name is BE A FRIEND PROJECT, INC.

It is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization / Federal Tax ID # 84-2802576.

Any donation to the Be A Friend Project, Inc. is tax-deductible to the maximum extent allowed by law, thank you!