It’s been less than a year since former UGA cheerleader Kelly Stafford announced she would undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor.
The wife of former UGA and current Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford posted happy news this year: The couple are expecting their fourth child.
» What is acoustic neuroma? Facts about the tumor Kelly Stafford had removed
“Baby stafford #4 due this summer (no worries, well before training camp),” she posted on Instagram.
“We won’t know whether the stafford kids will continue as a girl squad or if a little brother will enter the craziness until baby is here. Excited and exhausted!” she continued.
The Staffords currently have three daughters: twins Sawyer and Chandler, and the youngest (soon to be middle) girl, Hunter.
» Kelly Stafford credits 'Dream Team' of doctors with saving her hearing
Kelly Stafford underwent 12 hours of surgery in April 2019 to remove an acoustic neuroma.
Acoustic neuroma is a "noncancerous and usually slow-growing tumor that develops on the main (vestibular) nerve leading from your inner ear to your brain," according to the Mayo Clinic. Although the tumor can interfere with vital functions, the Mayo Clinic reports it is rare one will grow large enough to compress the brainstem and become life-threatening.
After her surgery, Kelly Stafford said she had to "relearn the basics of being an athlete."
“When they took out the tumor, they also wiped out the entire balance system on my right side” she wrote on Instagram.
The couple started dating at the University of Georgia, where she was a cheerleader and he was the star of the football team. They married in 2015. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL draft and has spent his entire career with the Lions. He is currently on the reserve/injured list.
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