At the age of 14, Dylan was diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer—and doctors gave him just eight months to live.
But he’s alive today 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 made time for lunch with Dylan, was there for the boy, checking-in during his darkest days, when there was serious doubt he would live long enough to get that diploma.
“I call her my second mom,” the Kansas City teen told CBS’s Steve Hartman.
“She just hyped him up,” Dylan’s mom says.
Dylan’s parents believe this human connection played a big part in saving their son.
“Just that trick of saying, ‘Hey, I’ll make it for your graduation,’ changed everything,” added Dylan’s dad. “He just decided, you know… to keep fighting.”
Now 4 years later, he’s cancer free, and this month he donned a cap and gown for a graduation ceremony—and there was a big surprise waiting at the end. (See the moment in the inspiring video below…)
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Even though Dr. Austin now works at Seattle Children’s Hospital, 1,500 miles away from Missouri, she showed up—just like she did every week during his monumental travail.
Watch the moment, and the hug that says it all, in the CBS video below…
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