Despite Suffering Stroke, Tedy Bruschi Retires as 'Perfect Player'
While he initially thought he would never play football again, persistence and determination allowed Bruschi to return to the sport he loves just eight months after the health crisis.
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December 8, 2009
In 2005, Tedy Bruschi, a Pro-Bowl linebacker with the New England Patriots, was at the peak of his career when he suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed and with partial vision loss. And while he initially thought he would never play football again, persistence and determination allowed him to return to the sport he loves just eight months after the health crisis.
In fact, the athlete, who was 31 years old at the time, not only survived but managed to win the honor of Comeback Player of the Year in 2005.
In this month's episode of Sharing Miracles - a TV program that tells the inspirational stories of real patients - Bruschi reflects on some of the things that gave him the strength to fight the adversity.
"I was always told that I was too small or too short or too slow to play defensive line," he confesses, adding, "there were a lot of doubts throughout my career, but that always gave me motivation to prove the doubters wrong."
By his retirement in 2009, Bruschi could boast of a 13-year record of more than 1,100 tackles, prompting his coach Bill Belichick to call him the "perfect player."
While not all cases of stroke - which killed 143,579 Americans in 2005 - are preventable, doctors agree that a low-cholesterol diet and regular physical exercise can substantially reduce the risk.
Moreover, a recent study found that those who are physically active and suffer a stroke recover faster and experience less lasting damage than individuals with a more sedentary lifestyle.
The American Heart Association is among the top organizations advocating for victims of stroke and providing information and other resources that may help survivors and their families thrive in the wake of such adversity.
In 2005, Tedy Bruschi, a Pro-Bowl linebacker with the New England Patriots, was at the peak of his career when he suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed and with partial vision loss. And while he initially thought he would never play football again, persistence and determination allowed him to return to the sport he loves just eight months after the health crisis.
In fact, the athlete, who was 31 years old at the time, not only survived but managed to win the honor of Comeback Player of the Year in 2005.
In this month's episode of Sharing Miracles - a TV program that tells the inspirational stories of real patients - Bruschi reflects on some of the things that gave him the strength to fight the adversity.
"I was always told that I was too small or too short or too slow to play defensive line," he confesses, adding, "there were a lot of doubts throughout my career, but that always gave me motivation to prove the doubters wrong."
By his retirement in 2009, Bruschi could boast of a 13-year record of more than 1,100 tackles, prompting his coach Bill Belichick to call him the "perfect player."
While not all cases of stroke - which killed 143,579 Americans in 2005 - are preventable, doctors agree that a low-cholesterol diet and regular physical exercise can substantially reduce the risk.
Moreover, a recent study found that those who are physically active and suffer a stroke recover faster and experience less lasting damage than individuals with a more sedentary lifestyle.
The American Heart Association is among the top organizations advocating for victims of stroke and providing information and other resources that may help survivors and their families thrive in the wake of such adversity.
