NFL linebacker Cameron Smith called a coronavirus test “a blessing” after it led doctors to discover a congenital heart defect that requires “open heart surgery.”
“Earlier this week I found out I need open heart surgery to fix a bicuspid aortic valve that I was born with,” the 23-year-old Minnesota Vikings player captioned his post on Instagram. The comments were noted by the “Today” show in a piece published Sunday. (RELATED: Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio Says He Doesn’t ‘See Racism At All In The NFL’)
“Although this will unfortunately end my 2020 season, it is really a blessing that we found this as my heart is severely enlarged and wouldn’t have lasted much longer,” he added. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
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Smith explained that he “found this out after” he “tested positive for COVID and had to have further testing done as protocol. The Lord works in mysterious ways, but I could really feel him on this one!”
The NFL player then shared that there’s a surgery that will “allow me to continue to play football as soon as I am healed and cleared and I didn’t think twice about going with that one. By no means am I ready to be done playing football, there is still so much more I want to accomplish on the field. Im going to attack this like everything else I have in life. Already looking forward to the comeback! #SKOL”
A short time later, Smith shared another post on his social media account and thanked fans for all the support he had received since sharing his news.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone for all of the support I have received over the last 24 hours, it means more to me than most of you may know,” Cameron wrote.
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“I also have realized how many people have been affected in some way by BAV and all of you that reached out to share your stories has given me strength beyond belief,” he concluded his post.
As the article noted, most people don’t discover they have the condition until they are middle aged and show a variety of signs, including “shortness of breath, chest pain and feeling faint,” per John Hopkins Medicine.