Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
ST. GEORGE — A long-time member of the KSL family needs your thoughts and prayers.
Dayne Nourse is the son of Dick Nourse, a beloved KSL anchor who passed away last year. The 27-year-old lives with a chronic bone disease and will soon be undergoing a dangerous brain surgery.
"I'm a big-time gamer. Have been since I was 6 years old," Dayne Nourse said.
His gamer name is "Fallen."
"I thought he would do something like Mr. Bone or Fracture Man," his mother, Debi Nourse, said as she laughed with Dayne.
The mother-son team keeps laughing despite their current reality.
"I'm trying my hardest to stay positive and trying not to give up," Dayne Nourse said.
He has battled brittle bone disease his entire life.
"There's been a lot of things that I wanted to do that a lot of people are like, 'Well, you can't really do that,'" he said.
His condition, coupled with a disease called Chiara malformation, which affects his brain, is only growing worse.
Debi Nourse said, "He enjoyed lifting weights before. And right now, at this point, he can't even open a bottle of water."
Doctors told them about a surgery in San Francisco. Dayne is no stranger to different procedures.
"We lost track at 23 surgeries," his mother said.
But this one is complicated and rare. Debi Nourse added, "It's dangerous. They kept using that word."
They will get more details from the doctor in a few days, but due to Dayne Nourse's severe state, they could be on a plane within the next couple of weeks.
"I'm extremely scared. I don't really want to go through with it, but it's the only option that I have," Dayne Nourse said.
Dayne and Debi are hopeful that this surgery will allow him to continue to work toward his goals.
"I want to build wheelchairs for people for Comic-Con, and I want to become an actor," Dayne Nourse said. "I do a lot of impressions and my mom hears me talking to myself a lot."
When he was 13, he met Jackie Chan, one of his heroes.
"That was one of the coolest experiences," Dayne Nourse said.
It's a fond memory of both of his parents.
"I was really close with my dad. I miss him every day," Dayne Nourse said.
Although his father is no longer here, Dayne Nourse and his mother are moving forward with positive attitudes.
"I hope his dad's watching over him. I think he is," Debbie Nourse said.
Dayne Nourse replied, "I'm sure he is. I know Dad."
A GoFundMe account* has been set up to help the family pay for medical bills.
