Organ donation gives Dylan Kalambay a second chance
October, 19, 2023
When Dylan Kalambay developed a cough three years ago, he thought it was the flu and would subside in a few days.
As the dry cough continued, the thinking was that his asthma had returned.
Unable to run for more than 30 seconds because of shortness of breath, a concerned Kalambay consulted the nurse at Ridley College, a private prep school in St. Catharines.
“When they checked my heart rate, it was at 200 beats a minute,” he recounted. “Sensing something was very wrong, I was sent right away to a hospital. At the time, I did not think it was serious even though I was a bit worried. I am an athlete and I thought I was not getting enough sleep.”
Even when diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, Kalambay did not grasp the severity of his illness.
Most patients end up with chronic heart failure and many are candidates for a heart transplant or an assist device that adds more morbidity. The progression to heart failure depends on the ejection fraction and cause of the disease and almost 50 per cent of patients die within five years.
“I thought things would be okay, but the day before I had open heart surgery, it dawned on me that my life is at stake and I might not play basketball again,” said Kalambay.
After an eight-hour surgery in 2021 to insert a left ventricular assist device was not impactful, he went on the organ donation list.
Thanks to the generosity of an organ donor and their family, Kalambay received a life-saving heart transplant a few months later.
Dylan Kalambay (Photo contributed)
He is on a mission to meet and thank that family.
“I want them to know I am extremely grateful for the blessing I have received from their loved one who passed away,” Kalambay said. “I know not a lot of people want to be organ donors. I am alive because of someone who was selfless and courageous and I want to meet the family and tell them that. I will also assure them that the heart will not be wasted as I will do everything in my power to ensure I make a lasting impact in my community and with everyone I interact with. I promise I will do great things with this heart and they need to hear that from me.”
Becoming an advocate for Canadian Blood Services and the Canadian Transplant Association is a priority for the 6’10” centre who was a member of the Ontario Under-17 team that won a silver medal at the national championships in New Brunswick in 2017.
“I want to educate people about the importance of donating blood and organs and how this can help save lives,” Kalambay noted. “I know some people are not comfortable donating organs, but they can give blood multiple times in their lives.”
Nearly six months after surgery, Kalambay was back in his comfort zone – on a basketball court.
“At first, it felt like I was re-learning the muscle memory for shooting and other aspects of the sport,” he said. “It was so weird and frustrating, but I think the process helped me become better in some areas that I was not good in. I fell in love with the game all over again.”
For his first game back, Ridley College invited a few coaches and health physicians who performed the surgery and assisted with his rehabilitation.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect then Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to attend.
Nurse and Ridley’s Assistant Coach Mick Bett coached in the British Basketball League.
“Nick told me how impressed he was that I was able to play the sport again and that it was nothing short of a miracle that I was able to make it all the way back,” Kalambay recalled. “He told me to keep working hard and once I did that, anything is possible. Hearing that from him meant a lot to me. I look up to him, especially since he is one of the leading factors in the Raptors winning the championship in 2019.”
Kalambay’s story is documented in a new film that traces his return to the court after the life-saving transplant.
Produced by Game Seven Media and presented by Canadian Blood Services, ‘Heart and Sole: The Dylan Kalambay Story’, premiered in Toronto on October 14.
It features Nurse, two-time NBA All Star Pascal Siakam and the parents of Humboldt Broncos ice hockey player and organ donor Logan Boulet who inspired more than 100,000 people to become registered donors after the horrific bus crash three years ago that claimed the lives of 16 team members.
Kalambay met Siakam for the first time on set last March in Toronto.
Dylan Kalambay (r) and Pascal Siakam (Photo contributed)
“He told me he watched the first part of the documentary recorded earlier,” he said. “I know he is very busy as a professional, so hearing he took some time out of his busy schedule to look at it meant a lot. It made me feel special. We talked about basketball and athletes overcoming health challenges and the grief of losing a loved one. That conversation was extremely insightful and it really put things into perspective. It showed me that NBA players and other sports stars are human beings just like everyone else.”
Tchamo Siakam, a former Mayor of a Cameroon town, died four days after a car accident in 2014.
Awaiting a new visa, his son was unable to attend the funeral for fear that he might encounter visa issues to re-enter the United States to continue his university studies at New Mexico State. He also risked losing his scholarship.
“Just hearing from Pascal what it was like to go through that difficult situation and then get back into the swing of things after losing his father meant so much to me and is motivation for me to continue to be the best that I can be,” said Kalambay.
Having the support of celebrities is great and he appreciates it.
However, family comes first and their love mean the world to him.
“My siblings and parents are my number one supporters,” the middle of three siblings pointed out. “I can talk to them about anything. Having them by my side throughout the whole ordeal kept me going in terms of getting back on the basketball court and in school. I had to do a lot of catching up with my schoolwork online. There were days when I did not want to do anything, but my parents would have none of that. I cried when they told me they can’t wait to see me back on the court. They told me exactly what I needed to hear and without them, I don’t know where I would be right now.”
Kalambay is a second-year student at the University of Calgary pursuing Media & Communications Studies.
When offered a full-ride through university, it would be unwise not to accept, especially if it is the only one on the table.
“When I look at the team, I think we have a good product,” Kalambay said. “I also believe the facility is one of the best in North America.”
It also helped that assistant coach David Kapinga was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where Kalambay’s parents -- Richard and Joelle -- were born and raised before migrating to Canada in 1999.
Moving to Canada at age five, the University of Calgary Dinos walk-on prior to the 2015-16 season was a member of the national team that captured a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
“It’s nice to be around someone who is also Congolese,” he pointed out. “He has taught me a lot about being in the right spots and seeing the game from a different angle.”
Like most African players who have made it to the National Basketball Association (NBA), soccer was Kalambay’s first love.
He started playing basketball at age six.
“My younger brother is good at the sport,” he said. “Being the older brother and competitive, I didn’t want him to show me up. That was when I started to take the sport seriously.”
Dylan Kalambay aspires to play in the NBA (Photo contributed)
Kalambay aspires to play in the NBA where 16 African-born players were on rosters at the start of the 2022-23 season.
“That is not the be-all and end-all and if that doesn’t happen, just playing in a professional league somewhere in the world would be great,” he said. “I will be involved in sport at some level and sports broadcasting is something I am seriously considering. I am excited about what the future holds for me and I just can’t wait to see my hard work coming to fruition.”
High profile television sports personality Stephen A. Smith and eight-time NBA All Star Paul George of the Los Angeles Clippers are Kalambay’s favourite sports journalist and player respectively.
“I love the way Paul plays but what I admire the most was the hardwork he put in to recover from a serious foot injury a few years ago,” he said. “When that happened, everyone questioned whether he would play again the NBA or be close to the same level if he came back. Seeing him come back from that horrific injury inspired me that I could do the same and do great things with my basketball career.”
During a USA national team intra-squad scrimmage in Las Vegas in 2014 in preparation for the FIBA World Championship in Spain, George suffered a compound fracture of both bones in his lower left leg.
