He explained that doctors told Smith’s family that she “has a large brain tumor and needs an emergency craniotomy.”
He wrote that ten hours of surgery at Stanford Children’s Health was “the most painful time of our lives”. He said neurosurgeons removed all of the tumor and Sloan “in its true form – bounced back from brain surgery like a rock star! Never missed a moment.”
However, the pathologist determined she had a “very rare malignancy with very few documented cases – without a clear roadmap for treatment. We are currently awaiting further tests and gathering as many opinions as possible from physicians across the country to determine the best way forward.” We wish this was easy and clear and someone gave us a how-to guide. It’s anything but that.”
The 6-year-old was “recovered” and “returned to her bubbly nature. Singing, dancing, laughing and feeling good.” “Most of all, she’s an incredibly strong girl who has a lot to fight,” he added.
Smith thanked “our amazing medical team, family, friends, acquaintances and even some strangers who have impacted our lives in the past month and a half. We have struggled to keep up with calls, texts, communication and constantly trying to update our loved ones. These have been the hardest times we have ever had. We know That it’s not over and we have a journey ahead of us, but without all of you we wouldn’t have gotten that far.”
Alex and Elizabeth have been open about his long recovery and comeback from the leg fracture that ended his career in the NFL, and shared the story with ESPN and talked about how his life was endangered by the infection. He apologized in his post for appearing “withdrawal” in the face of this challenge.
“We’re sorry if we seem to be withdrawn. That’s because… we’ve been overwhelmed with doctors’ appointments, checkups, and labs and are doing our best to navigate through this. Most importantly, we’re recovering together as a family.”