By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

There are days now when he can’t find the strength to get off the couch, can’t pick up his guitar, can’t stand the idea of staying inside. 

This is not quite the summer Dylan Thomas Hoey had in mind, but he is still finding ways to laugh through it.

Hoey, 18, of Saco, was diagnosed with select T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma days before his graduation from Thornton Academy in Saco last June. He had been feeling sick with chest congestion and began to have extreme back pain, so Hoey asked his mother to make an appointment with his pediatrician.

Hoey said his doctor heard something in his lungs and sent him straight to Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland. There, an X-ray revealed a mass in the left lung, which was full of liquid and almost completely collapsed. He was subsequently diagnosed with cancer and given an 80 percent chance of beating it.

“I was like ‘What? I have cancer?’ It was unbelievable. It didn’t seem real,” Hoey said. “You think it can never happen to you, but it can.”

It was the first time Hoey had ever been in the hospital and he stayed for 14 days, leaving once on a day pass to attend graduation.

“I felt lucky to be there and lucky to experience something so symbolic, a milestone,” he said.

Hoey had two different rooms at the hospital. He enjoyed the first room because it had a great view of the helipad and he was able to watch helicopters arrive nightly. Though the second room had a Dora the Explorer theme, its larger size better accommodated Hoey’s many visitors. 

“All the nurses were so caring and fun to be around,” he said. “They were always there to make me laugh and I made them laugh.” 

Hoey’s main complaint about the hospital was the beds, which he said were horrible, stiff and smelled bad. He also tired of the meals served there and was anxious to get back to his house.

Now home from the hospital, Hoey is nearly two months into a three-year chemotherapy treatment plan. The first six months are “extreme,” he said, followed by a maintenance plan. He takes pills and shots and keeps track of his medicine schedule on a calendar. Hoey has also undergone spinal taps where he receives injections in case he has microscopic cancer cells. 

Hoey said his family helps him in any way possible, joking his mom, Diane Porter, has become his personal waiter. Jokes aside, he said he knows how hard the illness has been for his family, especially his mom, who works two jobs and checks on Hoey constantly. 

Hoey has found additional support from his stepfather, Dean Porter, who survived testicular cancer. 

“He’s been there for support,” Hoey said. “I know I can always go to him for questions.”

Before the diagnosis, Hoey  planned to have the “best summer possible,” hanging out with friends, swimming and earning money for college. He worked as a clerk at Reny’s, a job he enjoyed — and misses.

“Now that I realize how boring it is at home, having a job seems awesome,” he said. “It’s been driving me crazy, sitting at home.”

Hoey’s plans to attend Southern Maine Community College in South Portland are on hold for now. He said he hopes to take the next school year to heal and the following summer for himself. After that, he plans to begin college, though he hasn’t decided on a major. He said he would like to  work in the music production field some day.

Hoey has been playing the guitar — his “weapon of choice” — for six or seven years and aspires to be a rock star “like you wouldn’t believe.” He plays in a band, Great Chicago Fire, but practicing guitar is difficult right now. Since surgery, his left side has been weak and he has occasional numbness in his fingers. 

Despite that weakness, Hoey said he will try to play at “The Concert for Dylan,” a benefit show scheduled for Aug. 24 at Thornton Academy. The show, which is organized by friends and family, will include performances by Say When, Bigshot Humble, Burden Brothers and The World’s Finest. 

“Dylan’s dream is to be a famous rock guitarist, so it only makes sense to help him fight his fight by throwing a huge rock show,” Hoey’s cousin and event co-organizer Andrew Del Cid wrote in a statement. “We’ve lined up some of the best bands in New England and they’re all volunteering to play out of love and support.”

As Hoey waits for the concert, he also waits to gain back some of the strength he has lost. His weight has dropped from 130 to 113 pounds and he has lost much of his leg strength. While people generally treat him the same as before, Hoey said he must be careful around people who are sick. Even the slightest cold could send him back to the hospital. A temperature of 100.1 is now considered a fever.

Hoey said his illness has allowed him to see how “treasured” he is by those around him and he thinks that, in the end, fighting cancer will make him stronger. 

“I have to be cheerful, I can’t be down. If I’m down and depressed it will affect my ability to get through this,” he said. “You’ve got to keep your head up and try to laugh through it. If you look at it like it’s the end, it really is.”

Concert for Dylan details

The Concert for Dylan is scheduled from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24 at Thornton Academy. 

A minimum donation of $10 buys access to the show, a program, one raffle ticket, refreshments and games. 

Tickets can be purchased at the door, Lucky Logger’s Restaurant, Lobster Claw and at www.concertfordylan.com.