Kieron Dyer, an ex-Newcastle and England footballer, has disclosed that he requires a liver transplant immediately after being diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis.
This comes just days after the 42-year-old was admitted to the hospital for tests to determine the reason of his current health issues.
Dyer’s diagnosis has now been confirmed by Ipswich Town, where he works as an under-23 manager.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis is an uncommon disease that affects the bile ducts and scars them.
‘The club can inform Town U23 manager Kieron Dyer has been diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis,’ Ipswich said in a statement posted on Sunday morning.
‘Kieron has been dealing with liver difficulties for a couple of years and now needs a transplant.’
‘Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with a liver issue a number of years ago, which would lead to my needing a transplant one day,’ Dyer wrote in the statement.
‘Test results will confirm when I need to go through this surgery in the coming week.’
‘I consider myself as a pretty upbeat person who will triumph over this tiny setback.’
‘I’m appreciative for the words of support I’ve received from the Club, supporters, and the general public over the last week.’
‘I’d want to ask everyone to respect mine and my family’s privacy right now.’
It happened months after he had a collapsed lung while appearing on the Channel 4 show Celebrity SAS, as well as hypothermia and a cracked rib.
‘There were quite a few difficulties to overcome,’ Dyer noted afterward.
‘I had hypothermia, a cracked rib, a collapsed lung, and one of my testicles was the size of an apple,’ she said.
‘My lung was not picked up at my initial hospital visit. I was set to fly, but I wasn’t feeling well, so I went back to the hospital, where they discovered it.
‘It’s a good thing I didn’t board the plane.’
Dyer admitted that in order to manage with his ailments, he had to take painkillers. ‘I had to hide the discomfort by pumping myself full of paracetamol,’ he claimed.
