Stand with Dan: Liver Transplant Hope

Help Dan the Man Fight for His Life: Support His Journey Toward a Liver Transplant!

Coaches, former athletes, friends, and family,

We have one of our own in need of assistance. Dan Davies, long-time Liberty Track and Field coach, is experiencing medical complications from past illnesses and a very serious car accident a few springs back. If you have been coached by Dan, coached alongside Dan, or perhaps been lucky enough to call him a friend, you know the bigger-than-life personality, the generosity, and genuineness he has brought to any relationship.

With this GoFundMe page is his wife’s description of the challenges Dan is facing currently. The goal is to allow Dan and Jill to concentrate entirely on healing and take the burden of financial concerns off the table. Of course, please keep this family in your prayers.

Thanks and Go Dan the Man!

Coach Warner

(From Jill)

Dear friends, family, and kind-hearted supporters,

We have heavy hearts and prayerful spirits as Dan is currently battling stage four liver cirrhosis. His condition is critical, and while we are holding on to hope of a future liver transplant, the road ahead is difficult and has many unknowns.

Dan’s liver disease is the result of years of compounding health challenges. If you've known our family for long, you know that Dan has lived out his "9 lives" and then some... He survived heart, liver and kidney failure in 2014--a battle that left him dependent on many medications that have over time taken a serious toll on his liver. In 2022, he had a car accident that no one quite knows how he survived. The lasting effects of his traumatic automobile accident and long-term pain management has caused relentless strain on his body for the past several years. With his liver function rapidly declining, Dan is facing the biggest fight of his life. While we work toward making him a candidate for a transplant in the coming months, there are urgent treatments and medications he needs to keep him stable and manage his symptoms. Unfortunately, we have run into challenges with insurance coverage of one of the most effective and important of these lifesaving medications. We are going through an appeals process with BCBS and the KU Med Liver Transplant team is working with us to try to get one particular medication directly from the manufacturer since insurance is providing hurdles. Currently, the out of pocket cost is over $1000. Either way, this extremely necessary medication is going to be more costly than we can afford for an ongoing timeframe.

Dan has been unable to work consistently due to his condition since early February, and the financial burden of his care has become more than our family can carry alone. I am still working the travel business when I can and am picking up some "side hustles" which I am grateful for to cover household expenses. We feel incredibly grateful for the love and support we've received from our family and friends. It means more than we can say. We've also been encouraged—gently and kindly—to ask for help, which isn’t easy for us. Especially for Dan. He’s never been one to ask for anything; in fact, he takes great pride in handling things on his own. But one of his favorite movies, It’s a Wonderful Life, rings in our mind: “Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.” So, with that spirit in mind, we’re leaning on the strength of our community—because with all of you beside us, we won’t fail.

We ask for your prayers most of all. It's never been more apparent to me how loved Dan is by so many and we ask that you share this message with others who might be able to help. Thank you for taking the time to read Dan’s story and for standing with us for the road ahead. Your generosity and kindness mean more than words can express.

With much appreciation-

Jill Davies (with Dan and the girls)