At the age of 14, Dylan Mwaniki was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer, and doctors gave him just 8 months to live. Today he’s alive, thanks to Dr. Mary Austin, who not only treated his disease, but transformed his thinking through friendship and a solemn promise. She urged him to persevere through 52 weeks of chemotherapy so she could attend his high school graduation. Dr. Austin, who often made time for lunch with Dylan, was there for the young boy, checking in during his darkest days, when there was serious doubt that he would live long enough to get that diploma. “She just hyped him up,” said Lucy Mwaniki, Dylan's mother. Dylan even referred to Dr. Austin as his “second mom.” Today, Dylan is cancer-free and a high school graduate. Unfortunately, Dr. Austin now works at Seattle Children’s Hospital, some 1,500 miles away from Kansas City, Missouri. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t miss Dylan’s high school graduation. Dylan’s parents kept her visit a surprise until the day of the graduation. Although little was said in the moment Dr. Austin and Dylan embraced, the firmness of their hug and the length of their embrace showed how much it meant to Dylan. It was, after all, literally what he lived for.
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| Dylan with parents Paul and Lucy |
