It was Thanksgiving 2014. Dylan was just a few weeks shy of his first birthday. My husband, Ryan Sult, and I were planning a Winnie the Pooh-themed birthday party and could not have been more excited to watch our son, our first born and only child, reach such an important milestone. Everything was in its right place.

The evening of Thanksgiving unfolded into an exhaustive 15-day blur of trying to determine what was wrong with our sweet, beautiful baby. He was vomiting, not sleeping, not eating, peeing through his diapers at an alarming rate, and completely miserable—the complete opposite of what we knew our Dylan to be, even if he was fighting off a small virus. Ryan and I felt like we were living minute-by-minute. So many trips to the pediatrician, going through the motions. We felt helpless.

On Friday, December 5, the evening before we were supposed to be celebrating a very joyous day with family and friends and serving cake and singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to our darling boy, we were at Yale-New Haven Hospital adjusting to our new normal–Dylan had Type 1 Diabetes. We had no idea what any of that would entail, but finally, we had an answer.

Side note: we believe our rescue beagle, Winston, had an inkling before we headed to the hospital. Upon returning from the pediatrician for blood work, Winston appeared anxious and would not stop smelling Dylan. He probably would have curled up around Dylan if there had been room in the chair. It was strange, but in hindsight we believe Winston knew. He has always taken his role seriously since Dylan was born, looking around for him, giving him plenty of kisses, and greeting him when he gets home. He still does, every day. He is absolutely a part of this journey.

Flash forward to the present. Our incredibly brave and resilient Dylan is a vibrant, curious, and sweet kindergartner who loves dinosaurs, all creatures big and small, the ocean, school, and being with his friends. This life is what Dylan knows, and we suppose that is the silver lining in all this. Because of the impeccable help Dylan has received from the Yale Children’s Diabetes Program, he has thrived exponentially since diagnosis.

Countless pump and Dexcom changes, finger pricks, and hours of sleep lost has required Dylan to become stronger and tougher much earlier than his Dad and me ever had to. This is why I walk—to honor my son and many others who manage Type 1 Diabetes every single day. Dylan will be 6 on December 3. Happy early birthday to you, our courageous kid!

MacKenzie Wilson
Dylan’s Diabetes Destroyers