Dilan: Taking the Right Step Forward

The mechanical legs press forward, rhythmic and powerful. Their pilot is 12-year-old Dilan, a patient at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. But in the hospital’s new exoskeleton, you might mistake this determined preteen for a superhero – and you wouldn’t be totally wrong.

The exoskeleton, a wearable robot equipped with computerized sensors and motors, is helping Dilan re-learn something he once took for granted: how to walk.

Less than two years ago, doctors believed that Dilan, then in a coma, might never awaken. But with his boundless determination – and the world-class rehabilitative care on our Oakland campus – Dilan is bouncing back, one step at a time.

An academically gifted sixth grader, Dilan was the star catcher on his Little League team. He also lived with a minor nut allergy; his throat would itch and he would occasionally vomit, but nothing serious.

Then in July, his family was walking the cobblestone streets of a Croatian town during their summer vacation when Dilan began struggling to breathe. He’d recently eaten a chocolate croissant that purportedly did not contain nuts. Within minutes, Dilan stopped breathing and had no pulse.

“He went from being perfectly fine to fighting for his life just like that,” says Steven, Dilan’s father.

Dilan was stabilized at a nearby hospital, but an MRI revealed a grave prognosis: Oxygen deprivation had resulted in severe brain damage. Dilan was transported to UCSF Benioff Oakland, where he spent two months in the rehabilitation unit tackling hours of daily physical, speech, and occupational therapy sessions.

Steven credits Dilan’s doctors, nurses, and other staff members with his miraculous recovery. “His therapists joked with him and challenged him at the same time,” Steven says. “And his teacher in the hospital school was amazing. She helped him go from playing with blobs of Play-Doh to doing sixth grade math. All of his needs were met, even things we didn’t know he needed.”

Steven also praises his son: “Dilan’s perseverance is beyond compare. He jumps over every hurdle that’s put in front of him.”

This includes regular sessions in the exoskeleton, an innovative technology that helps patients regain stability and move consistently, which is important for Dilan, who still struggles to control his body.

He’s now back at home in Fremont but continues weekly therapy sessions at the hospital, which his family calls a second home. Arriving for a recent appointment, Dilan receives no less than five hugs.

He’s also emerged with a new ambition: becoming a physical therapist. “Since it’s possible I might not be a professional baseball player,” he jokes.

But Dilan hasn’t given up on sports. A few months ago, he asked his parents if he could start baseball again. “I don’t care if I’m the worst player,” Dilan told them. “I just want to play.”

So in March 2019, Dilan took the field with his Little League team. He was a little shaky, but after training with a robot guide, he walked proudly on his own.