Kelly Stafford, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, is set to undergo brain surgery after learning that she has a tumor. Stafford revealed the heart-breaking news in a lengthy post on Instagram.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely terrified of brain surgery. I am,” she wrote. “I am terrified of them opening my head, I’m terrified of losing my hearing, I’m terrified of losing facial function, I’m terrified of far worse things that could happen and I’m terrified that I won’t take the time I need to recover because the guilt I might feel of being absent from my kids for too long”
Kelly learned of her tumor after Lions doctors encouraged her to undergo an MRI following multiple spells of vertigo.
“A few days later we were hit with the results,” she added. “I had a tumor sitting on some of my cranial nerves. The medical term they used was an acoustic neuroma or vestibular schwannoma All I heard was brain tumor & that they had to do surgery to take it out.. so that is what we are going to do & we believe we found the best doctor to do it.”
Stafford announced the news with a photo alongside Matt.
The Staffords have been together since studying as undergraduates at the University of Georgia.
Matthew and Kelly have three children; twin girls Sawyer and Chandler, and another daughter named Hunter.
We wish Kelly all of the best in the difficult battle ahead.