Latest news with #Dym
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Hero' 8-year-old son of retired NYPD officer succumbs to rare brain cancer
The 8-year old son of retired NYPD Lt. Eric Dym has died after touching the hearts of those who learned of his courageous battle against brain cancer. 'Derek fought so hard,' his broken-hearted dad told The Post. 'This cancer is just a monster.' The boy, who loved Minecraft, swimming, and art, died peacefully on May 1 — 14 months after being diagnosed with DMG Glioma, an aggressive cancer which strikes about 300 children a year in the US. 'We always thought if anybody could beat it, it would be Derek,' said Dym, an ex-Marine and co-host of a New York City-based podcast on policing. The youngster's brave struggle — 'he never complained,' Dym said — sparked an overwhelming response. A GoFundMe campaign raised nearly $600,000 to help the family pay expenses. The cancer started with headaches, striking while Dym, his wife Luiza, Derek and daughter Ellie, 3, were living in Bali after selling their home to travel through Asia on the adventure of a lifetime. Leaving everything behind, the Dyms rushed to LA, the closest US city with a children's hospital. While they stayed in an RV, Derek underwent radiation and oral chemotherapy for the tumor, which could not be surgically removed because of its location in the brain. On their own, the Dyms also purchased costly alternative treatments such as a sound-therapy machine and a device using low-frequency electric fields aimed at destroying cancer cells. But Derek's condition steadily worsened. He entered hospice on March 5, and Laguna Beach police officers escorted the family to an apartment where Derek could get comfort care at home. 'We were fighting two parallels. For one, we knew it wasn't curable. And the other was that doctors aren't God, and we were hoping for a miracle, so we weren't going to give up.' Derek fell into 'a deep sleep' on Easter Sunday, Dym said. Little sister Ellie kept asking, 'When's he going to play? When's he going to start talking? When's he going to walk again?' Dym said. Derek did not wake up. 'We told her that Derek went to live with God, and she said she wants to go live with God, too.' 'I'll always remember YOU as my hero,' Dym said of his son on X. 'Until we meet again, I will only have good memories.'
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Retired NYPD cop drains savings to help son fight rare brain cancer
(NewsNation) — Retired NYPD Lt. Eric Dym is no stranger to battles, but now he and his family face their toughest fight yet — his 7-year-old son's rare cancer. His son, Derek, was diagnosed a year ago with diffuse midline glioma (DMG), a rare brain cancer that affects approximately 300 children annually. Dym said his family has paid $5,000 for a 30-day supply of prescription medication and faced potential costs of $40,000 for another 30-day prescription. Despite having what he thought was comprehensive insurance coverage, Dym told NewsNation on Sunday he's facing crushing medical bills. Pitt student vanishes on spring break trip to Dominican Republic 'Being employed by the NYPD in retirement, I have full medical, full dental, I have prescription, and you figure it would be the best,' Dym said. 'But unfortunately, you find out where the rubber meets the road.' The family has exhausted their 401(k)s and maxed out credit cards to cover expenses that insurance wouldn't. 'The deductibles, the co-pays, just the expenses that are associated with this type of disease are exhausting,' Dym said. The diagnosis forced the family to abandon plans for a backpacking tour through Asia. They now live in an RV near Los Angeles Children's Hospital. Do vaccines cause autism? CDC to investigate Derek is currently receiving in-home hospice care. His father describes the cancer as 'not curable at this time.' Despite the financial strain, Dym refuses to give up. A GoFundMe campaign was created to help with the medical expenses, with a goal of $600,000. Dym, who retired from the NYPD as a lieutenant in September 2022, said there's 'no measure' to what a parent will do for their child. 'If that means sleeping on the street, we'll do it,' he said. 'Whatever it takes.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Retired NYPD cop goes broke trying to save son from rare brain cancer: ‘We won't give up'
After fighting crime and violence for 20 years in the South Bronx, retired NYPD Lt. Eric Dym sold his home and set off with his family on what they planned as a dream adventure – backpacking through Asia to learn jiu jitsu, study Buddhism and enjoy the outdoors. Instead, Dym and his wife Luiza found themselves in a living nightmare when their son Derek, at age 7, was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive brain cancer. For the past year, the financially-strapped couple and their two kids have been living in an RV camped near Los Angeles Children's Hospital, where Derek has undergone grueling tests and treatment. 'We have no idea how this happened – he's a healthy kid one day, and his life changed in a second,' said Dym, 45, an ex-Marine and co-host of a podcast on policing. 'We're not giving up. We refuse. We have to stand up and fight against cancer.' The family was in Bali when Derek began to suffer headaches. At first, a local clinic brushed it off as nothing serious. Sensing something wrong, the Dyms brought their son to the hospital where a CT scan confirmed a mass. The couple, who also have a 3-year-old daughter, Ellie, left all their belongings behind and headed to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. But they stopped in LA, the first US city, to rush Derek to an emergency room. After the family spent a month in a hotel, then three months as guests of the Ronald McDonald House, Dym bought the RV, and a truck to pull it, to make their home. The Dyms have cashed out their 401Ks and maxed out their credit cards to make sure Derek gets anything he needs in a desperate bid to save his life. His inoperable tumor, located beneath a vital area of the brain, hardly budged with radiation and oral chemotherapy. After a clinical trial rejected Derek because the mass had grown, the Dyms paid $5,000 for a 30-day supply of medication they hoped would slow its progression. Insurance finally covered another drug costing $40,000 a month: 'It was a struggle to get approved,' Dym said. Dym gets an NYPD pension and city health insurance, but $50,000 in co-pays and out-of-network medical costs piled up. 'We have to start from scratch all over again,' he said of finding the funds for future expenses. The anguished mom and dad dove into research of DMG Glioma, a frequently fatal cancer which strikes about 300 children a year in the US. They consulted doctors in every major children's hospital, and read every study – all with a frustrating lack of answers. 'They don't have a cure, and they don't know how it forms. They can't tell us how he got it,' Eric said. 'I want to know why this is happening to my son, and how to fix it,' Luiza added. 'It's MRI after MRI, prayer after prayer.' Hoping alternative treatments might help, she bought a $4,000 red-light therapy helmet and a $10,000 sound-therapy machine, but their impact on the tumor is unknown. With a shunt in his brain to drain fluid, Derek was able to play with other kids and live happily for five months. He enjoyed Minecraft, a video game he received on a toy shopping spree from the Make-a-Wish Foundation. But recently his condition has worsened. Today, the 8-year-old can barely walk, and his right arm is immobile. Fatigued, he sleeps most of the day. Little sister Ellie holds his hand and helps feed him. Yet Derek faces his ordeal with amazing courage and a thumbs-up, his dad said: 'This kid's my hero. He's brave. He never complains — and that gives me strength.' As word of Derek's plight spread on social media, the Dyms have been overwhelmed by support, and grateful for a flood of donations meant to ease their financial burden. A GoFundMe page launched by friends this week has raised more than $154,000 to date.
