On May 28, 2015, Caden Stryker Glenn was born at Brookwood Hospital in Birmingham, AL. He was the most precious baby, weighing in at 8 lbs. and 8 oz.

Stryker started to show signs of low muscle tone, macrocephaly, and delayed development. During his first two years of life, Stryker underwent numerous medical tests to determine the cause of his symptoms.

Stryker is diagnosed with Tatton Brown Rahman Syndrome (TBRS), a rare disease caused by variants in the DNMT3A gene. To date, roughly 250 people have been diagnosed with TBRS. There are a variety of other symptoms that are also associated with TBRS, such as overgrowth, low muscle tone, behavioral and mental health issues, orthopedic problems, cardiac defects, seizures, and autism.

After an MRI, it is determined that Stryker has Chiari Malformation, a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal. Stryker undergoes brain surgery to relieve the pressure and allow the flow of spinal fluid.

Stryker Strong was established.

Stryker experiences Febrile Seizures caused by high fever. Due to his low muscle tone and other TBRS symptoms, when Stryker has a seizure his little body has a hard time coping and he stops breathing and/or vomits and chokes. The family lives in constant fear of when the next seizure will occur and experiences many ambulance trips and ER visits.

On June 19, 2019, Stryker becomes sick with the Rhinovirus and in the middle of the night his fever spiked and Stryker has a Febrile Seizure. The Glenn family quickly reacted as they had many times, but this time was different. During the seizure, Stryker vomited and began to aspirate. Stryker stops breathing and went into cardiac arrest. With no time to wait on an ambulance, the family rushes him to the nearest hospital while also administering CPR during the drive. The hospital staff was able to resuscitate Stryker and he then is immediately transported to Children’s Hospital of Birmingham. After arriving at Children’s, Stryker is placed on a ventilator and placed in a medically induced coma for a week. Due to the lack of oxygen to his brain, Stryker is diagnosed with an Anoxic Brain Injury. Doctors give Stryker a month to live and can’t guarantee he would even open his eyes or be able to come off the ventilator.

Stryker spends five months at Children’s of Alabama battling for his life. During this time, doctors performed many tests and medical trials to determine a regime to stabilize Stryker and control his numerous medical issues caused by the damage to his brain.

Stryker is released from Children’s. He is put on around-the-clock medications to control his seizures, heart rate, pain, digestion, constipation, anxiety, body fluids and secretions, and is fed solely through a G-Tube. Stryker also requires oxygen and suctioning to clear his airways. His brain injury left him quadriplegic and required 24-hour care from the Glenn family. Stryker was then given a 2–5-year life expectancy.

The Glenn family adopted an around-the-clock schedule of home care and supervision for Stryker. Life for the family is exhausting, stressful, and scary. But Stryker continues to fight every single day. He is Stryker Strong!