Former NFL great tight end and soon-to-be FOX Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen posted some scary news on Twitter. Olsen’s 8-year-old son TJ has battled heart ailments and is facing another crisis.
This past week has been exceptionally challenging for our family. As many of you know, our son TJ has faced serious heart issues since birth. TJ has already undergone 3 open heart surgeries and has survived with a modified heart for his first 8 years of life.
— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) May 24, 2021
Per Atriumhealth.com:
Greg Olsen: In 2012, my wife and I found out we were pregnant with twins. We found out early in the pregnancy that T.J. was going to be born with a very complex, critical congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
They laid out what the future held for him in the immediate term, and it was scary. We were very conflicted on where to get our treatment and what was the best course of action for our family, for our son.
That led us right here – in our own backyard – to Levine Children’s Hospital. T.J. and his sister Talbot were born in October 2012, and T.J. underwent the first of what would become three open-heart surgeries and a few other heart procedures over the next two and a half years. We stand here today as parents of an almost 5-year-old boy who’s happy and relatively healthy. We have a lot to be thankful for – and a lot of that thanks starts here at Levine Children’s Hospital.
We are so thankful for the incredible support we have received over the years. We have received world class care at Levine Children’s Hospital and we are so appreciative of their amazing team.
— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) May 24, 2021
Thanks for everyone’s prayers.
The Olsen Family#halveaheart#playforTJ
— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) May 24, 2021
The Olsens started a foundation at the hospital to thank the staff for all the work it has done. To learn more, click here.