Dylan's Journey Memorial Scholarship

When I was younger, I was diagnosed with NF1. My mother has it and passed it on to me but her parents don't have it. Throughout elementary school, I was in a speech therapy class but that didn't affect my ability to learn. I also had to get surgery twice for my limb length discrepancy, did that stop me from learning like any other student NO! I get asked all the time "What's that thing on your arm?" or "What's that lump?" I respond with "It's a neurofibroma, it's harmless. I have it because of my genetic disorder neurofibromatosis". Some people think it's weird while others think it's cool. I remember some of the things the "Make-A-Wish®️ Foundation" did for me. I remember I said, "Give my wish to someone else". They thought it was cute but I didn't know how it was run back when I was younger, so they asked if Disneyworld was fine and I said yes. As of the second full week in January of 2011 that has been the one and only time I went to Disney. The other smaller thing they did for me was send me to my first Pittsburgh Penguins game, they versed the Arizona Coyotes and won. It has been so long I can recall when it was and the score of the game. I always strive to be the best student I can be. I joined my school "Performing Arts Club" just for fun and to have more things to do throughout school to make my time worthwhile. After that first show of "Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella" I knew that musical theatre was my thing. I don't think a lot of people know I have it but if they do I just want to prove that disabilities don't disable dreams from coming true. I don't want to sound like a braggart but I'm always one of the first to be completely off script. Outside the classroom, I am an Eagle Scout. The rank of " Eagle Scout" in Boy Scouts is the highest rank attainable. I was accepted to attend PennWest California University in Fall 2023 where I am majoring in musical theatre. I had the chance to perform with them in November 2022 because they held community casting for a musical and I auditioned and later that day I received a call that same day offering me some roles. As of 2019, I have been in 4 musicals and 2 plays, 5 musicals if you count the one we started practicing for. Year after year I am filled with delight reading the compliments my director says about me and how I slide into and out of roles. I am truly set on my career goal. In addition to making sure I succeed, I offer assistance to classmates who may be in the need of a hand. I test my ability to do new experiences. I don't let my Neurofibromatosis get in the way of my path to a happy, successful life. This scholarship is one of the only things that mention a genetic disorder I have. Being a fellow person that has NF, I would feel honored to be awarded this scholarship in memory of Dylan.

You often associate a person's outward appearance with their health. If they look similar to others, we tend to assume they are fine. I learned that this often isn't the case. The first time I heard I might have NF was after an eye appointment. I was confused and wondered, "why me?" When I was officially diagnosed with NF type 1 in eighth grade, it was an enormous shock to my family and me. Certain aspects of life started to come together after my diagnosis, like my numerous cafe au lait spots, lisch nodules in both eyes, my speech delay as a young child, and the bullying because of my height. It was even harder to hear that my children have a 50/50 chance of inheriting NF. I don't want to take the risk of passing on NF, so I've decided to foster children and teens instead. Since then, I have developed hypothyroidism and neurofibromas. I manage my hypothyroidism by taking medication. It is always a bit alarming at first when I discover another neurofibroma on my body. My mom reminds me that it's normal for me and to monitor them. I will likely develop hypertension due to my family history and NF. I still don't know what the future holds for me with having NF, but I take one day at a time because that's all I can do. I wasn't going to let having NF stop me from pursuing my dreams. I was in 5th grade when I knew I wanted to be a nurse. After listening to a missionary nurse in church one Sunday, I knew that was my calling. I find the human body fascinating and how everything depends on each other. A few years after my diagnosis, anatomy and genetics became more real to me. I found it unreal how one slight change can have a tremendous impact on a person. I want to make a difference in others' lives. In the Fall of 2022, I am attending Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. I am going to major in nursing. While I live there, I plan on participating in the symphonic band, choir, and worship band. After receiving my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, I want to join a missionary outlook program in a third-world country. It can be hard to find people with NF due to it being rare. I sometimes feel I will never find someone with NF. When I discovered this scholarship, I felt relief knowing that I'm not alone. I would feel honored to receive this scholarship in Dylan's honor as someone with NF.