29-Year-Old Dad of 3 Dies from Sudden Pancreatic Attack Family Suspects Was Fueled by Drinking
A month after waking up with severe stomach pain, Dylan Thomas Wakefield, 29, died from complications of acute pancreatitis — which his family believes was caused by drinking
Alcohol and gallstones are the primary causes of pancreatitis, and as Wakefield's brother Nathan Lamb explained, Dylan "liked a drink"
The father of three posted a heartbreaking message about his ordeal before his death, calling his health struggles the "darkest chapter" he had facedA 29-year-old father of three died from complications of acute pancreatitis just weeks after he posted a heartbreaking message that 'the fight is far from over' — and now his family is sounding the alarm on the risks of heavy drinking.
Dylan Thomas Wakefield woke up on April 24 with a searing pain in his stomach that was so severe that he needed to seek care at his local emergency room, according to The Daily Mail. Hours after doctors initially dismissed Wakefield as having gastritis — inflammation of the stomach lining — he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis.
The condition, which is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas, is marked by fever, nausea, and pain that can feel 'severe' and 'penetrating," The Cleveland Clinic explains. About 80% of pancreatitis cases are caused by gallstones or heavy drinking.
Wakefield, who hailed from the English county of East Yorkshire, managed a local pub. Doctors didn't definitively say alcohol caused Wakefield's condition, but his brother, Nathan Lamb, told The Daily Mail, "Dylan liked a drink but he was only 29. Issues like this, you would think, only start later in life."
When Wakefield's condition began to spiral, he was placed in a medically induced coma.
'They attached him to several machines and told us they would be taking over to let Wakefield's body focus on getting stronger,' Lamb told the outlet, sharing that his brother briefly recovered long enough to come out of the coma on April 29.
Nearly two weeks later, on May 9, Wakefield posted a heartbreaking Facebook message to update friends and family about his condition.
'My body began to shut down. The pain intensified. Things went from bad to life-threatening. I was put into a coma, and for days, my family watched helplessly, not knowing if I would ever wake up again. They prayed. I fought,' he wrote. 'But the fight is far from over. I'm still in the hospital. I'm still in pain. I can't walk. I can't eat. I'm facing a lifelong condition that has torn through my life in a matter of days.'
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'This has been the darkest chapter I've ever known — terrifying, humbling, and utterly heartbreaking,' Wakefield said. 'Thank you to everyone who's sent love, prayers, or even a thought my way. I'm still here. And I'm not giving [up]!!!!'
But three weeks later, his condition deteriorated again, and Wakefield was placed in another medically induced coma. As a GoFundMe established to help pay for his funeral explained, he struggled with internal bleeding and blood clots before he died on May 28.
'The whole ordeal has been a massive shock. We didn't think he would die from this,' Lamb told The Daily Mail. 'We were a very close family … He has his whole future ahead of him. It is so unfair.'
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