David Adomako-Ansah Memorial Basketball Tournament

About David

David Adomako-Ansah was a remarkable individual whose life left a lasting impact on those who knew him. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, David was the twin brother of Sarah Adomako-Ansah, an educator and advocate for diversity and inclusion. While Sarah pursued a career in education, David was drawn to journalism. David was diagnosed with lupus, a systemic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's cells and tissue, causing inflammation and tissue damage, in 2006. He began suffering cardiomyopathy (damage to the heart), and the energetic Archbishop MacDonald student’s life suddenly became a non-stop series of emergency trips and hospital stays. In April 2007, David was given a Berlin Heart, an extracorporeal (out of body) artificial heart that helps pump blood to the lungs and body. Just before Christmas 2007, he became the first person outside Europe to go home on the device. In February 2009 he successfully received a heart transplant. A couple years later, he enrolled in the Radio and Television program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. He graduated in 2013 and began an internship at CTV Edmonton. On June 10, 2013 David passed away at the age of 23 years. David Adomako-Ansah started the Dunk on Disease Foundation, a fundraising organization in support of the Stollery Children’s Hospital, where he received treatment until age 19. Through events including basketball tournaments, BBQs and pub-crawls, Dunk on Disease generated over $10,000 for the hospital that Adomako-Ansah credited with saving his life. His resilience and positive attitude served as an inspiration to many, including local basketball star Andrew Parker. Moved by David's courageous battle with lupus, Parker dedicated efforts to raise awareness about the disease and support those affected by it.

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