Written by Linda Larson Schlitz & Dylan Rellinger
DYLAN RELLINGER
At 15 years of age, Dylan was already a troubled teen. He suffered from severe attacks of anxiety and depression. At this tender age Dylan had already been on various prescription drugs for years to help cope with his chemical imbalances and ADHD.
This young teen had already begun experimenting with drugs readily available in his suburban neighborhood. He was defying “the system”, failing completely in school, and getting in trouble when his parents decided to leave the suburbs behind and live full-time in an RV earning a living playing music. Some may have thought that would be a good change for Dylan but he was not prepared to live in such unusual conditions.
His family decided that it would be best for Dylan if his aunt and uncle cared for him; which may have turned out to be the miracle that Dylan needed because one day, six months later, Dylan was caught stealing bicycles. This latest trouble was just another in a long list of behavioral issues. Finally, his aunt put him in the car and drove down to social services and decided it was time to let someone else try to help Dylan.
In hindsight, Dylan admits that he was a handful. Nothing would stop him. Even after spending time in secure detention and then a foster home, he just refused to “get with the program”. At his foster home for about a month, he was at home one day and for no reason he just passed out and fell down the stairs. His subsequent trip to the hospital revealed a life threatening brain tumor the size of an egg that required immediate surgery.
His parents flew in to be with Dylan at the hospital, as well as his aunt & uncle, his grandparents, and his foster family. Although love and encouragement were available to Dylan, he was shocked by the news that at 15 years old, not only would he have to learn to talk again, but the doctors didn’t expect him to walk again, ever. The hospital staff was there with him through every procedure, surgery, rehabilitation appointment and every tear shed.
His family stuck it out with him when he got out of the hospital and helped as well, but the biggest accomplishment was all due to Dylan’s own determination….he became the first in many generations of his family to graduate from high school! Dylan started sharing his story with others as soon as he got out of the hospital.
For the last 8 years Dylan has gone to schools, groups and events all around his home region and, asking for nothing in return, he has told others of the hope that he found in realizing the purpose that God has for him and how to make a difference in the lives of others by sharing your survival stories. During the last few years Dylan has been invited to give his inspiring presentation at many special events including the American Cancer Society, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation events.
Dylan is a rare find. He is rare because most of us who have been through tragedy of one kind or another are too afraid to share it for fear of rejection. We think others will judge us for not being good enough or for what we could have done different to get a different result in life. That in itself is a travesty because if we all realized how incredibly valuable and important our legacy is then we would all be working much harder to leave it in such a way that it would impact the largest number of people possible in a positive way.With the Internet we have a worldwide audience now and there is no reason that we can’t literally “change the world”. It is done one person at a time as they “pay it forward” to others.
Since I met Dylan a few months ago he has changed my life in dramatic ways. Dylan is not a quitter. Though his self-doubt creeps in regularly trying to convince him he isn’t good enough to do this, to be a help to others, he has already proven that isn’t true. Dylan is now a student at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Wisconsin where he is taking classes to get his marketing degree.
Recently, Dylan set up a meeting with the marketing department faculty to seek a sponsorship from the school. Though you can tell he has to work to even speak clearly, what he said and how he presented our upcoming “Six Miraculous Recovery Stories” event clearly impressed the instructors who all touted their praises for Dylan and the accomplishments he has made and the contributions he has offered to NTC.
As I watched Dylan leaving the conference room at NTC I was reminded why he worries that people watching him may think he’s been drinking. The entire right side of his body is still affected by the brain trauma, he has lost his hearing on one side, and he has difficulty balancing himself as he walks, but Dylan doesn’t let these things stop him.
Though the Faucet of HOPE Ministries and Business Collaborative is not currently a 501(c)(3) that can offer contributors a tax deduction, we believe that the individuals who know and respect Dylan are going to do what they can to help move him forward so we can all do what (we) believe is our purpose in life, and that is to share the HOPE that we have in overcoming the obstacles life throws at us and never giving up on the passion that God has placed in us to let others know that we all have a reason to be this earth and all we need is a little Help Opportunity Praise and Encouragement to get there.
Dylan does not have his whole family and tons of others that have rallied around him cheering him on to become a professional speaker/author. In fact there are some who think he should just quit this nonsense about doing this full time because they think he is just doing it to get sympathy. They think he should go get a “real” job because his disability isn’t “that bad.”
Who can possibly know what it is like for someone else? What chemical imbalances occur that wake you in the night in terror and fear or what doubts they will bring to get you wondering if life is even still worth living. We are all unique. There is no such thing as “normal” and we cannot judge another’s experience or abilities based on our own assessment of what these things should be. We all have our own God given purpose in life, which is so incredibly valuable and urgent. We must never let others get in the way of doing what God has called us to do or who God has put in our path to influence, which happens to be every person we have opportunity to connect with every single day.
I may have a Masters Degree and 61 years of experience living life but I have ADHD and I sorely lack many of the skills that Dylan has. I am a visionary, but he is organized. I see the big picture and “run with scissors” (as one of my bosses called it), but Dylan cautions the quick fix and looks at laying a more solid foundation with a few devoted supporters who will be with us for the long haul.
I am so blessed that Mr. Rocky, another traumatic brain injury survivor, introduced me to Dylan. I so appreciate having this opportunity to help this tenacious young man to reach his “dream job”. Making a difference in the world by sharing the experiences of his life with others to give them HOPE.
Whether you are a troubled kid who needs a direction to follow, someone who has been addicted to drugs, a law breaker with a criminal record, someone who is in foster care, suffering from cancer or suffered a traumatic physical injury, Dylan Rellinger can be your inspiration to take everything bad that has happened to you or that you have done and turn it around to change the world and make it a better place to live.
Or maybe you are someone who wants to have Dylan share his story with everyone you know at your school, your job, your church and in your community. Please help me help Dylan “get a real job” like his aunt suggests he should do. Help me present him to the world as the highly sought after speaker I know he will be once people hear him speak. Be a Faucet of HOPE today and watch for Dylan Rellinger at our upcoming events or perhaps you can invite him to come and speak at your event but please consider his value. A workman is worthy of his hire!
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Click here to see what our last event was like 6 Miraculous Recovery Stories Event
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Linda Larson Schlitz is a Master’s Level Counselor/Social Worker, International Speaker, Author and Artist. She is a recipient of the Red Cross Hometown Hero of the Year Award and the Athena Award and she has received commendations from the Governor of Wisconsin for her dedication and positive example to the residents of Wisconsin. She is the founder of Faucet of HOPE Ministries and Business Collaborative.
