FORMER England star Kieron Dyer nearly died 11 weeks ago but a transplant saved his life.
The 44-year-old played for Ipswich, Newcastle, West Ham, QPR and Middlesbrough during his career.
But just three months ago he was lying in hospital with a rare liver disease named primary sclerosing cholangitis.
The illness sees bile ducts inside and outside the liver decrease due to inflammation and scarring.
Time was running out for Dyer and his mother, wife Hollie, two kids and friends were preparing for the worst.
But on September 18 a compatible liver was found after somebody else had passed away.
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The operation to save the 33-time capped England international took nine hours and when he eventually came round, he was in so much pain that he told doctors to stop trying to save him.
However, the next day he was sat up in bed and three weeks later he was allowed to go home.
Dyer is now on the road to a full recovery and regular tests are showing that his body is reacting well to the new organ.
The amount of pills he needs is being reduced and he's been able to watch his youngest son Kody, 12, play football from the sidelines.
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Dyer would often hide his emotions but was in floods of tears as he reflected on being given a second chance at life.
He told the Mail he was "as yellow as Bart Simpson" at the worst point of his illness.
Dyer said: "The fact that someone else died so that I might live is something I still can’t process.
"To have that responsibility and burden to do that person justice is… I still can’t come to terms with it.
"There are days where I just cry. I am happy. I am not sad. It is just such a powerful thought that someone had to die.
"To be given a second chance, I have got to grasp it and make each day count.
"I will try and live every day to the fullest, try not to waste a single day. I have got a lot more positive outlook on life now.
"It’s a shame that it took someone else’s tragedy for me to be able to see it."
On the support he has received from loved ones, Dyer added: "I was at my lowest. I was a nightmare to deal with.
"I was dying so you can imagine how moody and erratic I was and not once did my family take it personally.
"All they showed was love, love, love. How could they put up with me?
"They drove three hours a day every day for three months to see me. That’s unconditional love."
He has had well wishes from a range of football clubs, from his former side Ipswich to their bitter rivals Norwich, which left Dyer shocked.
Managers Kieran McKenna and Paul Cook have visited him, both of whom he worked alongside as a coach at the Tractor Boys and then Chesterfield.
Dyer now wants to write a letter to the family he got his new liver from but is struggling to find the words to thank them and process his emotions.
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