Dollars for Dylan
But, there is even more to Dylan's story.
While Dylan was growing, so were his medical bills. He was nearing the $1 million limit on his health insurance policy. Jim and Melanie, his parents, weren’t rich, but like most middle-class families, they had too much income to qualify for assistance.
One day, at the Tangles Salon & Spa in Tracy, Michelle Quarry was cutting Stephanie Dunn’s hair. Michelle had met Dylan's father, Jim, when his company laid the salon’s tile floor. Michelle knew a little about Dylan’s story, and in between the snips and brushings she shared the tale with Stephanie.
A 5-month-old Dylan was brought to Children’s Hospital Oakland. He was pale, gaunt and lethargic. Dylan had been experiencing heart failure since birth. He arrived at Children’s and was treated by a host of pediatric specialists. Dylan needed a total of 4 major open-heart surgeries and 10 additional procedures on his little heart.
The two decided right then and there to do something for Dylan, a child neither had met. “It touched a chord,” Stephanie says. “We wanted to help."
Stephanie and her husband, Larry, own the Tender Loving Care Day Care centers in Tracy. Children at the centers began cutting out pink and red hearts for a "Dollars for Dylan" fundraiser. For a donation, hearts were hung up at Tangles, in the three Tender Loving locations, and at the Great Plate Restaurant in town. These hearts filled windows and walls. Donors inscribed personal notes on each heart. Kids held lemonade sales and brought in their pennies. Reports of the program turned up in the news, and calls came in from around the country.
Stephanie’s husband, Larry, arranged a golf tournament fundraiser as well. In short order, the Tracy community raised more than $18,000 for Dylan.
When a separate local charity group, Hearts of Harvest Foundation, heard Dylan’s story, they donated $5,000 toward his care as well.
More support was forthcoming. When Jim’s company realized his insurance policy was inadequate, they helped get the family a new plan with a $10 million cap.
Expert medical care— along with the community support of caring neighbors and friends who donated their time and money— helped save Dylan's life. At Children's Hospital Oakland, we count on community support to help us continue to save children's lives. And we are grateful to belong to a community filled with so many compassionate people. A child's life is precious. We know that you feel the same way. By supporting Children's Hospital Oakland, you make stories like Dylan's possible.
