Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith revealed that his 6-year-old daughter Sloane needed 10-hour brain surgery after being diagnosed with a ‘very rare malignant tumor’.
The ex-NFL star took to Instagram and shared that his daughter was ‘rushed to the ER with stroke-like symptoms’ on May 10.
The father-of-three said that Sloane “had an MRI and the doctors quickly informed us that she had a large brain tumor and needed an emergency craniotomy.”
Smith said that the procedure at the Stanford Children’s Health lasted ten hours. He described it as ‘the most excruciating time of our lives.’
“The incredible neurosurgeons @stanforchildrens did a miraculous job and were able to remove 100% of the tumor,” he added.
The 6-year-old has now returned to her ‘true form,’ her father said, even though there are ‘very few documented cades – without a clear road map for treatment.’
The former Kansas City Chiefs player also said that they are currently awaiting more tests and collecting opinions from other doctors.
“We wish this were easy, clear-cut and someone gave us a how-to guide. It’s anything but that,” he expressed.
Sloane’s father said that she has ‘healed’ from surgery and is now ‘back to her bubbly self. Singing, dancing, laughing and feeling good,” he added.
Smith also thanked Sloane’s doctors, their family, friends, and also some strangers who have touched their lives during the challenging time.
“We have struggled to keep up on calls, texts, communication and trying to keep loved ones updated. This has been by far the most challenging time we have EVER been through,” he wrote.
“We know it’s not over and we have a journey ahead of us, but without all of you we could not have gotten this far,” he added.
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