NFL star reveals daughter’s brain tumour

The former Washington Commanders quarterback said in an Instagram post that it “is a very rare malignant tumour with very few documented cases”.

Alex Smith speaking about his NFL career in November last year (TED / YouTube)

The daughter and youngest child of former Washington Commanders quarterback Alex Smith has a brain tumour, the 38-year-old has revealed.

Writing in an Instagram post on Sunday, Smith said his daughter Sloane was rushed to a hospital on 10 May with “stroke-like symptoms” and was taken into emergency surgery.

“The 10 hour procedure was the most excruciating time of our lives,” said Smith in the post, which featured a picture of his smiling daughter. “A clock has never moved so slowly.”

He said neurosurgeons at a Stanford Children’s Health hospital “did a miraculous job and were able to remove 100 per cent of the tumour”, with his daughter making a slow but noticeable recovery in the weeks since.

The long-term future however remains uncertain, with Smith saying the tumour “is a very rare malignant tumour with very few documented cases”.

“We are currently awaiting more tests and gathering as many opinions as we can from doctors across the country to decide the best path forward,” said the retired National Football League (NFL) star.

“We wish this were easy, clear-cut and someone gave us a how-to guide. It’s anything but that.”

Smith continued by saying that it had been the “most challenging” time for himself and his family, and thanked those who had been by their side Sloane’s diagnosis.

“I know we don’t post much about our kids but we felt necessary to post this and say THANK YOU,” Smith said. “Thank you to our amazing medical team, family, friends, acquaintances and even some strangers who have touched our lives in the last month and a half.”

“This has been by far the most challenging time we have EVER been through,” he said. “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.”

Among those who responded to the Instagram post were NFL broadcaster and former running back Louis Riddick and former San Francisco 49ers star Joe Staley, who both previously played alongside Smith.

During his 14 seasons in the NFL, Smith also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the recently renamed Washington Commanders.