Dano's Liver Journey

08/17/2023

🚨REMINDER!🚨

Our first ever “Dano Day” is this Saturday! Come out to the Edmonton Soccer Dome () at 1:30 to enjoy some great footy, great company, and honour the life and legacy of Daniel Drummond. See you there! 🤍⚽️

08/17/2023

💚💚💚

🚨REMINDER!🚨

Our first ever “Dano Day” is this Saturday! Come out to the Edmonton Soccer Dome () at 1:30 to enjoy some great footy, great company, and honour the life and legacy of Daniel Drummond. See you there! 🤍⚽️

08/13/2023

08/04/2023

08/04/2023

We hope that people who love Daniel will find comfort in visiting his profile to remember and celebrate his life.

06/25/2023

It is with profound sadness and sorrow that the family of Daniel (Dano) Drummond announce his passing at the age of 37 after a courageous battle with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC).

Above all, Dano's loved ones will forever cherish him as an exceptional father, devoted husband, and compassionate family-oriented man. Due to his compassion and kindness, he had a natural gift for connecting with people, and an intuitive knack for inspiring and uplifting those he encountered. He loved all sports, particularly soccer, a sport he excelled at. He was widely known and loved by those in the soccer community, where he played soccer all his life and coached for the past decade.

**Please follow the link for the full obituary and details of the celebration of life.
https://pointewestfuneral.com/obituary/drummond-daniel-ross/

06/19/2023

I have struggled to make a post in the hope I could share something positive, new, or uplifting. I have had a constant physical and mental battle while waiting for my 2nd transplant. It is difficult to put into words the mental challenge of facing the same physical issues every day while not knowing if or when a donor may become available.

The news my family and I have been hoping for came today, on Father's Day, and what a gift. I was called and notified that there is a potential donor, and the transplant is scheduled for tomorrow. Getting "The Call" is overwhelming as it's the moment I have hoped and believed that my life can be saved from a donor (someone who I am very grateful to for them and their family)

Tomorrow marks exactly 9 months from my first transplant from my living donor (Fergal), and without him, I don't know where I would be. 💚

The next phase of my journey is only now getting started, and things will be more complicated, but I have a lot more Father's days to show up to for my kids and my amazing wife!

Happy Father's Day to my dad and to all the dads out there! Embrace every moment you can. Life is precious




.partners

03/03/2023

~Update Feb/March ~

The picture above is Dr. Thomas Starzl, who performed the first ever liver transplant in 1963! Amazing how far things have come, while some countries have just attempted their first ever liver transplant within the past 2 years!

This update has been tough for me to share. In January, Lindsay & I met with the surgical team, who first notified us that there was not going to be a way back from my first transplant due to the complications and ongoing issues with the bile ducts. On January 19th, 4 months, exactly since my first transplant, we got the go-ahead that I am officially relisted and am now awaiting that all important call for a deceased donor. For many friends wondering, I am high on the list, but due to my first transplant I am needing a smaller donor due to the size and change of my anatomy.

My first call was to Fergal, and in his usual fashion, he simply said, "we're good, and we need to get you a new liver." Without many words needed, my family is so grateful to him and his family and what he did to get me to this point. ❤️

In October, I was fearful of this nagging idea of what if the complications don't stop, and my small doubt crept into what would be my worst nightmare. Now that I am here, I have one objective to overcome this mountain and fight as it's my only way out to getting back to some resemblance of my old self!

Please take the time to learn and opt into becoming an organ donor. You really can not plan for everything, and for me, someone's tragedy will be my only hope for a chance to live. 💚

partners

01/15/2023

~2023 Update~

Dano, unfortunately, has been in hospital for another 10 days as he had another infection within his liver, we are glad we caught it early as these can always become really serious quite quickly.

Within his stay, Dano had another ERCP procedure to attempt to unblock the bile duct through his drainage site, but the stricture is so tight that doctors were unable to do so. While being out for the procedure, Dano was on his left side, and a compressed nerve has led to him unable to use his hand, hence the new splint! Time and rehab should be able to take care of it.

He is hopeful of being discharged soon and able to manage the pain and dis comfort from the procedure at home.

💚

12/30/2022

~Last Update for 2022~

About three weeks ago, I had to have an ERCP, which is when doctors are able to enter your bile ducts through the mouth and place balloons into your bile duct to allow for them to properly function. Unfortunately, that was unsuccessful as there was a main blockage that they couldn't get past.

The following week I was in hospital until the Dec 23rd and had a procedure where they enter through the skin and insert a drain (pictured above) to help with draining of bile from the liver but this was unsuccessful due to the bloackge. I was lucky enough to get home to have Christmas with my family, which was really special this year more than any other!

I am currently at the hospital for the 3rd attempt of the PTC drain, but guess what.....unsuccessful due to this blockage. I now need to wait 4 to 6 weeks with this drain, and doctors are currently coming up with an alternative method to solve this issue.

The pain is pretty intense, and I hope it subsides over the coming weeks.

Happy New Year. Be thankful for your health, if anything, this year!

.partners 💚

12/02/2022

Strength, Hope & Faith. These are three words on a wristband that I probably have struggled with one time or another over the last 2.5 months. To say my transplant journey has been difficult is an understatement and the challenges and issues that have come post transplant seem to be never ending. I am currently back in the hospital with an infection of my bile ducts, which I have been admitted with twice in the month of November.

When I was able to be discharged in October, it was not the great celebration and joy we had hoped for. Rather it was a wait and see approach to see if my liver would be able to overcome this ischemic injury it has endured. I had weeks after being discharged that I was unable to go home, be mobile or climb up stairs. My family has handled everything and we're so grateful to the many wonderful friends and families stopping by with a meal or checking in. Since my last discharge early November, I started to gain some strength and mobility and finally, was able to be mobile enough not to use my walker. I was hopeful that I would make a post with alot of positives and celebrate this new life, but this journey will be long, complicated and definitely a challenge for me and my family.

Merry Christmas and enjoy every moment the holidays has in store for you and your loved ones!

💚 .partners 💚

10/10/2022

Thankful for this little girl showing me how to be strong & brave!! 💚❤️💚