On Saturday, ambulances, police cars, fire trucks, and even a THP helicopter surrounded 14-year-old Dylan Ayer's home.
"Some neighbors told me they heard everything and started praying for the victim," said Dickson police officer Katrena Pulley. "Then they looked outside and saw what was going on."
The huge response was a surprise for Dylan, who is battling a rare tumor in his brain called Clavicle Chordoma.
"We had our Touch a Truck event on Saturday, where all the kids can climb up in the trucks, but obviously Dylan couldn't make it," Pulley said. "We decided we were just going to make a big line and head over here and surprise Dylan."
Pulley first met Dylan only a week ago. She saw him and his grandmother, who is also his guardian, in the parking lot of the police department. When she asked about the patch covering Dylan's eye, she learned he was facing a long and hard battle.
Pulley immediately reached out to emergency responders across the county, collecting donations to help Dylan's grandmother pay for treatment and basic necessities.
Sheila Ayers called the support was the answer to her prayers.
Dylan will soon undergo seven weeks of intense radiation therapy in Cincinnati.
"If it doesn’t work, a second surgery is required, and the second surgeries aren’t always successful," Sheila said. "I’m up front with him, he knows what he’s facing. We’re just going with love and Christ and help from Dickson County."
If you'd like to help the Ayers family, you can donate money towards Dylan's medical expenses here.
