By Aaron Allen
The Seattle Medium
As sixteen year-old Dorian Tibbs walks into the room, you would find it hard to believe that this young man recently went through four brain surgeries and just over a year ago he was lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life.
Dorian, a promising basketball player at the time, was suffering from a nasal infection that spread into his brain and threatened his young life.
During his freshman year at O’Dea High School, Dorian wasn’t feeling very well after basketball practice. It was the type of feeling that he might normally pass off, but on this day, Dorian realized this was a little more serious than a common cold or illness. He told his father, Anthony Tibbs, that he wasn’t feeling well, and his father could see things weren’t right and rushed him to the hospital.
“Dorian doesn’t trip off of things like headaches,” says Tibbs. “he’s always been able to handle pain. So, to see him cry over this headache I knew something was wrong, something wasn’t right.”
His father took him to the emergency room, where they diagnosed him with a nasal infection. Upon his release from the ER, Dorian’s father took him home to rest, but the symptoms were still persistent and not normal.
Dorian’s mother, Michelle Tibbs, says that Dorian was diagnosed with asthma when he was two years old, so they thought they he might just be suffering from a bad infection. However, the next day his symptoms seemed to be worsening, so his mother took him into ER demanding a CAT scan in the hopes of discovering the cause of her son’s suffering.
Dorian and his parents would visit the ER two more times and were sent home each time without, in their opinion, “any satisfactory answers.”
Dorian’s primary caregiver, Dr. Mary Weiss, who has been Dorian’s primary care physician since he was born, saw him and knew right away that something was not right. After considerable deliberations with doctors and specialist the only question his father could ask was, “will it save his life? Then let’s do it.”
Under the advisement of Dr. Weiss, the hospital administered a CAT scan.
When the results of the CAT scan came back, the diagnosis was that Dorian was suffering from a brain abscess, which occurs when a collection of pus develops and the infection leaks into the brain, which according to the American Medical Association, if not treated in a timely fashion can cause damage to the brain and even death.”
“I remember the nurse telling me, ‘I’m glad you were persistent or we’d be having a whole other conversation,’” recalls Michelle.
Dorian’s doctor was equally stunned by what she saw.
“It would be uncommon to have a CAT scan for someone with a nasal infection, that would almost never be a recommendation in an ER, almost never,” says Dr. Weiss.
“The difference in what I have with Dorian is I knew him,” continued Dr. Weiss. “So, when I walked into the room I could tell Dorian was extremely sick.”
At that moment Dorian’s existence laid in the balance. His parents pulled all their resources spiritually and economically to make sure Dorian would see another day.
After 8 days in ICU, Dorian was relegated to a hospital bed undergoing numerous brain surgeries to clear and clean the infected areas because even with treatment infections can return as doctors worked within their parameters to extract the infection.
According to Dr. Weiss, “with brain injuries doctors can be too aggressive that can cause damage to the brain or doctors can’t be aggressive enough and it can turn into a more serious illness.”
During his time in the hospital, Dorian’s father rarely left his side.
“I think I left twice to change clothes, but beyond that [I was there] every day,” says Anthony.
According to Dorian, he survived on his dreams of playing basketball again for his high school and hanging out with friends.
“I felt good when my friends would come and visit,” says Dorian. “They gave me the energy to stay strong through that experience.”
While the spiritual journey was trying for the Tibbs family, his mother wants to make people aware of her son’s story in hopes that it may someday help save somebody else’s life.
“With Dorian’s experience all we want to do is spread the awareness,” says Michelle. “Even with the few episodes across the country and the inability of ER’s to diagnose these conditions, it’s important that we support parents who’ve experience similar symptoms and how to prevent unnecessary injuries or even death to these young people.”
While Dorian, who suffered minimal, if any, damage to his brain, has recovered from his injuries, he still has a way to go before he gets back to normal. Due to the injuries and a long absence from school, Dorian’s return to school was a struggle as he worked to regain his brain’s potential after injury. Once back in school, his grades slipped as he had to strengthen parts of his brain that were essential to retention.
“From what I understand Dorian is in complete recovery, but anyone who misses a chunk of school time along with the recovery it takes from brain surgery and the possibility of damage from the infection can stifle any child’s ability to bounce back in school,” says Dr. Weiss.
In addition, there were the psychological and emotional effects that come with such an ordeal. But the amazing thing about Dorian is that he never gave up. Upon the news of his illness, Dorian relied on family and friends to help him get through this ordeal.
“I felt kind of devastated at first,” says Dorian. “I was kind of upset that it even got to this point, it should have been handled the first time I went to the emergency room.”
“I just wanted to get this over with,” he continued. “But when everyone came to visit me I had to fight through it for them and my family, I watched my parents fight hard for the doctors to get things done.”
Anthony his father reiterates his son’s point, and marveled at his son’s strength and resilience.
“As I watched Dorian [go through all of this] I realized his strength,” says Anthony. “Dorian is strong and through the support of God, of course, friends and most important family, Dorian came through and I saw his strength.”
Dorian is thriving now. Taking classes at Seattle Central College, although he is no longer t at O’Dea, he will be registered to start school this fall after a long absence at Cleveland High School. Undoubtedly, you will see him working out on the basketball court and continuing to work on his game, as he is expected to be the new point guard for Cleveland’s varsity squad.
“He’s back,” states his father. “To go from brain surgery to back in the classroom and on the court. Dorian is back and that’s all about his strength, God and family.” Anthony concluded.
With a new outlook on life, Dorian believes that you should live life to the fullest with no regrets, because as the saying goes, “tomorrow is never promise.”
