Alex Smith reveals daughter’s harrowing emergency brain surgery

Alex Smith reveals daughter’s harrowing emergency brain surgery

The daughter of a former NFL quarterback who went through a life-threatening health scare himself is dealing with a rare brain tumor, he revealed.

In a post on Instagram, Alex Smith said his daughter Sloane is dealing with a “very rare malignant tumor” that required a 10-hour operation.

“On May 10th, Sloane was rushed to the ER with stroke-like symptoms,” Smith wrote. “She had an MRI and the doctors quickly informed us that she had a large brain tumor and needed an emergency craniotomy. … The incredible neurosurgeons @stanforchildrens did a miraculous job and were able to remove 100% of the tumor.

“Sloane — in her true form — bounced back from brain surgery like a rockstar! She didn’t skip a beat. After weeks of waiting on pathology, we learned that Sloane’s tumor is a very rare malignant tumor with very few documented cases — without a clear road map for treatment. 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.”

Alex SmithAlex SmithGetty Images

The 38-year-old Smith played for the 49ers, Chiefs and the now-Commanders across 14 seasons. He suffered a gruesome broken leg in 2018 that later developed into a scary infection that threatened his life. After 17 surgeries, he survived and even returned to the field in 2020 before retiring last year. Smith worked for ESPN last year as an analyst.