In August 2021, Darrell AKA “Heavy D” underwent an emergency aortic dissection surgery. Darrell was put into a medically induced hypothermic coma. The doctors performed a 12 hour open heart surgery. A surgery like this is very dangerous. Darrell went without oxygen for 20 minutes and didn’t wake up for weeks after sedation was stopped. Darrell was at the gates of heaven being welcomed with open arms.

Lucky for us, Darrell knew he was still needed here on Earth. We all knew Darrell was tough, but no one could imagine that he is this tough. Darrell was on an ECMO (a machine that pumps and oxygenated blood), kidney dialysis, a ventilator, and a feeding tube, while enduring countless infections, pneumonia, and other complications. In 20 years at the Cardiac ICU in Royal Columbian hospital, the staff had never seen someone survive a fight like this, but Darrell did!!!!

The 20 minutes without oxygen damaged his spinal cord, but miraculously not his brain. Darrell is a paraplegic recovering at GF Strong Rehabilitation Center. He does daily physiotherapy and is working hard to get his upper mobility back. Darrell is getting ready to come home in a few months but is encountering overwhelming medical expenses. A powerchair, a medical bed with a lift, renovations to his home and many more medical expenses are all required. Darrell has showed us how much he loves us by winning an unimaginable fight, lets show him how much we love and appreciate him by helping with some of his medical expenses.