Dahrran Diedrick is a former Canadian professional football running back for the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and was selected by the Edmonton Huskies in the third round of the 2002 CFL Draft.

Diderick played eight seasons with the Montreal Skylarks and won the Gray Cup twice. He played college football in Nebraska.

Darland was also a member of the Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins and Hamilton Tigercats.

His professional football career ended during the 2014 CFL season when he was diagnosed with hepatosplenic gamma-delta T-cell lymphoma.

After having his enlarged spleen removed in August 2015 and several rounds of chemotherapy, he underwent a stem cell transplant in June 2016, with his daughter Dominique as a donor.

In September 2017, he regained his health and spent the 2017 season as the strength and conditioning coach for the Toronto Argonauts. Diderick passed away on June 24, 2023 at Toronto General Hospital. He is 44 years old.

When Dahrran Diedrick, a professional athlete who wasn’t a key running back for the Skylarks, received the devastating news of a rare lymphoma diagnosis, he was initially terrified.

It was a natural reaction to such a life-changing revelation. But as a young, vibrant, prime-of-life athlete with no family history of cancer, Diderick quickly found the strength to face his fears head-on.

As Diedrich reflected on his experience, he realized that cancer kills countless people every day, and his case was no exception. With a firm attitude and unwavering determination, he accepted the reality of his diagnosis.

He understands that fear will not change his situation and that facing the struggle bravely is the only way out. This way of thinking became his guiding ideology.

Before the 2014 CFL season, when Dideric was a senior with the Montreal Arks, his family doctor told him he had a low white blood cell count.

A concussion he suffered while playing in Winnipeg in August put him on the injured list for six games, although further tests initially indicated there was nothing to worry about.

During this time, further tests revealed low hemoglobin levels. A subsequent bone marrow biopsy confirmed the diagnosis: hepatosplenic gamma-delta T-cell lymphoma—a rare and aggressive cancer that originates in the spleen or liver.