Kelly Stafford, the wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, plans to have surgery to remove a noncancerous brain tumor.
Kelly Stafford shared the details Wednesday on her Instagram account. She said an MRI showed the tumor on cranial nerves after she had vertigo spells within the last year.
Matthew Stafford, who is from North Texas and grew up in Highland Park, met Kelly while the pair attended college at Georgia where she was a cheerleader and he was the star of the football team. In 2009, Stafford was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and has spent his entire career with the Lions.
The couple now has three children, all daughters.
In her post on Instagram, Kelley Stafford said she started noticing balancing issues while doing tumbles and twirls with her children -- things she did before with ease.
In her post, she described the tumor as an acoustic neuroma or vestibular schwannoma. According to the National Institute of Health, the tumor is a noncancerous, usually slow-growing tumor that develops from the balance and hearing nerves supplying the inner ear. The tumor grows from an overproduction of Schwann cells and as it grows can affect hearing and balance. Untreated, the tumor could grow to impact facial sensation, nerves and could press on nearby brain structures becoming life threatening.
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In her post, Kelly Stafford admitted she was terrified of having the surgery to remove the tumor and asked for prayers of support.
