Empty Nest: Dillyn Mumme?s Story

Tammy Mumme (pronounced mummy) of Mt. Pleasant isn't mum about her son, Dillyn. And for good reason.

Growing up, Dillyn enjoyed hunting and racing ATV 4-wheelers. He was a strong kid, athletic, and an excellent wrestler. In fact, while wrestling in middle school, he was undefeated and never pinned.

One night, just after Christmas, when Tammy picked him up after practice, Dillyn grabbed his chest. Tammy thought he had pulled a muscle, so she took him to the chiropractor.

A couple of days later, on a Friday, Dillyn had developed a cough, and little red spots appeared on both legs from his shin to the tip of his toes. (They now know this was petechiae?caused by a low number of platelets.)

Tammy didn't mess around. She took him to see their family physician, Dr. Situmeang. Tammy is convinced that God put just the right people in Dillyn's path at just the right time. Dr. Situmeang was the first of many such people.

Dr. ?Situ? had blood drawn and seemed concerned about the numbers. He told Tammy, ?I'm going to call the University of Iowa Hospitals and see if I can get him in tonight.?

Tammy thought, ?What in the world?? because, at this point, she was still thinking pulled muscle.

Dr. Situ had more blood drawn to recheck the numbers. He told Tammy and Dillyn he wanted to ?rule out leukemia.?

The University of Iowa Hospitals wanted Dillyn's blood checked again in a week to see if his numbers were going up or down. Dr. Situ wasn't comfortable with the wait, but let Tammy take Dillyn home with the instructions that they were to ?keep Dillyn in a bubble? and that if anything changed, they were to get Dillyn right back into the Henry County Hospital. Dr. Situ was making an appointment for Dillyn on Monday morning at Iowa City, and if they weren't back on Monday morning, he was ?sending the police after them.? A normal person's platelet count is between 150,000 and 300,000. Dillyn's was 34,000.

The next morning, Saturday, 13-year old Dillyn had big red spots on his chest in the heart area. They took him back to the Henry County Hospital and found that his platelet count had dropped to 24,000. So they knew it was dropping.

They rushed Dillyn to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital Emergency Room. Angel No. 2 flew into their lives. Dillyn's ER doctor, Carlyn Christensen Slanzksi, was the pediatrician who had delivered Dillyn and his sister, Jayde. Dr. Christensen Slanzksi ordered a blood smear, revealing blast cells, which are cancerous. But they didn't know what kind of cancer. His platelet count was 19,000.

On Monday, Dillyn underwent a bone-marrow biopsy. Being a wrestler, Dillyn bridged up while sedated and tried to do a reversal. It took four people to hold him down. Dillyn's platelet count was in the single digits. Diagnosis on January 12, 2009: lymphoblastic leukemia.

Dillyn underwent daily chemo therapy, most of it administered at home by his mother, Tammy. His last day of treatment was on Mother's Day, 2009. What a Mother's Day present! He missed over 300 days of school, but still managed to graduate in the upper 15 percent of his class of 2013. During his senior year, he was able to return to varsity wrestling.

He is now studying aerospace engineering at Iowa State University. He had an internship the summer of his freshman year with Winegard, and a co-op with Rockwell Collins his sophomore year. He may have another internship next summer. Dillyn is being inducted into the National Leadership Society and is a well-known motivational speaker. He speaks from the heart about the important things in life, like family, faith, friends, and a support group.

Sometimes your life has to be turned upside down, to turn it right side up.

Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526, email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com, or visit his website at www.empty-nest-words-photos-and-frames.com. Curt also reads his stories at www.lostlakeradio.com.