Reinert a fighter since birth
Brandywine Heights’ Dillon Reinert, who was born with his stomach, spleen, kidneys, intestines and liver outside his abdomen, has found success on the mat
Deena Reinert found out at the first ultrasound that something was terribly wrong.
The pictures showed that organs of her developing first child were outside his abdomen due to a birth defect called omphalocele. In this case it was a giant omphalocele, the protruding sac containing the stomach, spleen, kidneys, intestines and liver.
“It was just a rough time for me and my husband (Brett),” Deena said. “We didn’t know if he would survive or what other complications he would have.”
Last Thursday, Deena’s son, Dillon, 18, was at Hershey’s Giant Center competing in the PIAA Wrestling Championships in Class 2A at 126 pounds for Brandywine Heights.
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Dillon has shown the strength and determination that has served him so well on the wrestling mat from the day he was born at Bryn Mawr Hospital.
“He was a fighter from the beginning,” Deena said. “Within hours of him being born he was strong enough that they took him right back. I don’t even think I got to see him and they just took him right away and did a surgery.”
Over several days, doctors performed multiple surgeries to place his organs back into his abdomen.
But those successful surgeries were not the end of the worries. Far from it.
More than half of all babies born with omphalocele have other birth defects or abnormalities, according to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“There were days we weren’t allowed to touch him when we went to see him because he wasn’t doing well,” Deena said. “But then the next day, he would be fine. It was just you live day by day, because you didn’t know what was gonna really happen.”
During Dillon’s monthlong stay in the NICU, he was diagnosed with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, a genetic disorder commonly characterized by overgrowth and often related to omphalocele.
For the Reinerts, the biggest concern was that one of the features of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is an increased risk of developing certain cancers during childhood.
That led to Dillon’s first memories of dealing with his medical issues. Until he was 10, he and his family made four trips a year to Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Del., for ultrasounds and blood work.
Dillon said he hates needles and dreaded having his blood drawn, but is pragmatic about it.
“Had to be done,” he said.
There were trips to GameStop on the way home as a “treat,” but Dillon grew to see it as just a part of his life.
“To me it felt normal because I didn’t know any different,” said Dillon, who is softspoken, but not shy. “I kind of thought a lot of other kids did it until I went to kindergarten. I was like, ‘Oh no one else does this.’ ”
The ultrasounds weren’t easy either, according to Deena, because his organs are not where they are supposed to be.
“We were very lucky to get through all those years with no issues,” she said.
Dillon underwent yearly checkups until he was 15, and most who have Beckwith-Wiedemann grow to be healthy adults.
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Dillon’s interest in wrestling began when his uncle, Rod Norman, a referee, started taking him to matches, and he came home from kindergarten one day and said he wanted to wrestle.
“A lot of my friends seemed to do it and I wanted to try it because I was really super short,” he said. “I couldn’t really play basketball. I couldn’t play baseball because I always got hit by the ball. So wrestling seemed like it worked out pretty good for me.” Mom, of course, was skeptical. Sure, the surgeon had told the Reinerts that Dillon could do whatever he wanted, but there were concerns.
Dillon has a big surgical scar on his abdomen — the only noticeable sign of omphalocele — and Deena wondered how his muscles in that area would develop, particularly due to the scar tissue. She never doubted his strength, but this was a whole new thing.
“I didn’t know what to think really,” Deena said. “I went to the first wrestling match. I didn’t even take a video camera. I was like, ‘Okay, let’s see this.’ And within seconds he threw that kid down. I’ll never forget his first match and I was like, ‘Okay.’ “
Success has followed, in part due to Dillon’s mindset and work ethic.
“Wrestling is a unique sport,” he said. “You can be like, whatever you want to be, you can do good, find success in it.”
Still his condition, while not the first thought, is always at least on his mother’s mind.
“We always have to be on guard,” Deena said, “because from all the surgeries he could have scar tissue, all that could rupture. So we still always have to keep it in the back of our minds.”
Dillon admits that he sometimes wonders if the omphalocele has impacted his wrestling ability, in part because his lungs are a little smaller.
“I don’t know what it’s like to not be like this,” he said. “It’s like a mental thing. Like, if I would lose, I don’t know how they feel. They might not even be tired while I can barely breathe. I don’t know if that’s from this or just me just being out of shape. I don’t know.
“I just try my best and work hard.”
Dillon headed to Hershey as a three-time All-Berks pick and with a 103-41 career record. He qualified for states as a sophomore at 113 pounds after finishing fifth in the Class 2A Southeast Regional.
Last year, he won sectional, District 3 Class 2A, and Southeast Regional titles at 113. Normally, that would have meant another trip to Hershey, but the PIAA added a Super Regional Tournament due to COVID as a way to cut down on the number of competitors at Giant Center.
A return trip to states this year seemed like no sure thing.
Dillon got COVID in December and missed some time, including the Gov. Mifflin Holiday Tournament.
“That hurt me emotionally a lot knowing that I might not get 100 wins,” Dillon said. “And that was a big goal of mine. But once I got it (his 100th win), it took a lot of weight off my shoulders so I could perform better.”
After finishing seventh in District 3, the final spot to move on, Reinert finished third in last weekend’s Southeast Regional.
“Really did the best I’ve seen since I’ve coached him,” said Bullets coach Tom Whalen, who has coached Reinert the last five seasons. “I like the way I’m wrestling now,” said Dillon, who is also a volunteer firefighter at the Topton Fire Co. “I think I got better. I always get better throughout the season. I always start out a little rough but I usually end pretty strong.”
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Dillon is looking to continue his wrestling career in college. He’s visited the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, and would like to take up welding.
But first things first, and that’s a final trip to Hershey.
“I would say for me personally, having a chance to coach a kid for five years, it’s a blessing,” Whalen said. “It’s a blessing. You really think about the difference you make in the lives of kids, but then you look at the difference they make in your life, too, and he’s made a big difference in my life. He’s a good kid.”
While Reinert’s PIAA stint lasted a single day with his 0-2 run, a podium finish wasn’t needed to prove all that he has accomplished through his outlook and perseverance.*