ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque hot air balloon pilot has taken on a new role of becoming his own biggest health advocate in order to get a liver transplant that he desperately needs.
Dave Aley, 55, has been living with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare autoimmune disease that affects the bile ducts in the liver and eventually leads to liver damage. There is no cure for PSC, and now Aley needs a liver transplant to help save his life.
“I really enjoy being in the role of trying to help other people, and asking for something from me has been a bit challenging. It’s a big thing to ask for. I’ve found it pretty difficult. But not doing it is not really an option,” said Aley.
Aley first found out something was wrong in the 80s when he was first diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. That was followed by blood tests that showed he had high liver enzymes in the 90s and 2000s. “And my doctor at the time said, ‘Well, we ought to do some tests.’ And that’s when they diagnosed me with primary sclerosing cholangitis,” Aley recalled.