Former Newcastle United midfielder Kieron Dyer is facing an anxious wait following his ongoing battles with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PCS). The 43-year-old is in desperate need of a liver transplant and has been on the waiting list to find a correct donor for six months.
PCS is a rare disease that scars the bile ducts and gradually causes serious liver damage. It is thought the conditions affects 1 in 10,000 people.
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The former Magpies man had wished to continue with his coaching career following his retirement, enjoying spells with League One side Ipswich Town as the side Under 23's head coach most recently.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail most recently, Dyer has revealed how the condition has reached a deadly stage with intervention now needed.
"If I don’t have the transplant, my liver will pack in. There would be nothing they could do for me," began the former West Ham man.
"Sometimes there are people waiting for transplants who only have weeks to live," he says. "I am getting increasingly fatigued but I’m not in the super-urgent category so I might have to wait a few more months until my liver has really deteriorated before I am called in. There are not enough livers for the demand of people who need them.
Given the sadness that surrounds the situation, Dyer admits that ultimately he must ultimately wait for the death of another to bring him closer to normal day-to-day life once more.
'‘I am just thankful that they have found out what’s wrong with me. I’m aware I’m dependent on someone else’s misfortune giving me the chance to live a long and happy life. My greatest hope is that, whoever’s liver I get, I do that person proud. They encourage you to touch base with the family of your donor after your operation and that’s something I thoroughly intend to do."
