The story of Dylan
I was born a happy and chubby baby. At the age of 3 I began to get very ill. People started asking questions, does he eat? What does he weigh? I began to lose the fat on my cheeks, arms and legs. I then lost my hearing. My mum got very worried and didn’t know what to do , she just wanted to enjoy her baby boy. I was constantly at the hospital having tests, being photographed, having e-rays. The doctors were unsure what was wrong with me. They thought it could be a lot of things. Like cancer or progeria.
My mum continued to be worried. I was at the hospital over 9 years in and out. Then one day my mum was watching the news and she saw a man riding a bike and she saw that he looked just like me. The man’s name was Tom. Tom had a condition called mdp syndrome and I was then diagnosed with mdp syndrome. Mdp syndrome is an extremely rare metabolic disorder that prevents fatty tissue from being stored underneath the skin. Mdp stands for mandibular dysphasia with deafness and progeroid features. It is only known to affect me and 15 other people in the world. There is beauty inside and out. Be yourself, be strong , be kind. My message to the world is that it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside, its what’s on the inside that counts. I have learned that it’s ok to be different, I feel my condition is a gift and it’s something that I feel proud to have.