Ross Twp. chief suffering incurable disease finds kidney donor

After cheating death twice, Ross Twp. Police Chief Darryl Haussler has a new lease on live now that a “perfect match” kidney donor has been identified.

Haussler, 53, suffers from a rare, painful and incurable disease called scleroderma and still has to go for dialysis three times a week, but not for much longer. Maria Wessel — who works with Haussler’s wife Debbie at U.S. Bank and goes to their church in Cleves — unbeknownst to the Hausslers had herself tested to be a kidney donor and is a perfect match.

According to the Mayo Clinic, scleroderma is a group of rare diseases that involve the hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues — the fibers that provide the framework and support for the body.

In some people, scleroderma affects only the skin. But in many people, like Haussler, scleroderma also harms structures beyond the skin, such as blood vessels, internal organs and the digestive tract.

A year ago, the doctors were describing a very bleak picture of Haussler’s survival chances, as he was hospitalized 10 times over the span of 14 months, suffering numerous setbacks. Then last summer, he and his wife were in a horrific car wreck on Interstate 75, when a driver going 55 mph pushed them under the back of a semi.

Haussler lost multiple teeth, his nose was broken and he suffered some other injuries. His wife suffered a concussion, broken bones and bruises. He said everyone who has seen a picture of their crunched car said it was a miracle they survived.

Here’s a video interview with Haussler from October 2017:

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

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Denise Callahan