In 2018, NFL star Alex Smith’s life took a sudden and harrowing turn when a tackle during a game left his leg shattered. Since that accident, fans have been wondering what happened to Alex Smith.
They have been curious about his leg injury. His journey to recovery would be marked by unexpected twists, infections that threatened his life, and the determination to not only save his leg but return to the football field. Get into the article and know more about Alex Smith.
The Crushing Diagnosis
As Alex Smith sprinted towards the 40-yard line, a devastating tackle by the opposing team’s J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson changed the course of his life.
The impact shattered the bones in Smith’s lower leg, instantly dashing his hopes of continuing his football career.
“You just never expect something like that to happen to you,” Smith recalled. “To look down and see your leg bending where it shouldn’t.”
What happened to Alex Smith?
Alex Smith fractured his leg back in 2018; however, he recovered after that and returned to playing. The initial diagnosis was an open fracture of his tibia and fibula, and surgery was performed to piece his lower leg back together.
Smith appeared to be on the path to recovery, with hopes of reuniting with his wife and children on the horizon.
Smith’s situation took a dire turn when he developed a high fever, and doctors discovered a dangerous infection in his bloodstream.
Sepsis, an emergency medical condition, now threatened his life. His wife watched in despair as the focus shifted from his leg to the battle for his survival.
An Infection that Could Kill Him
Doctors urgently unwrapped Smith’s bandages, only to find his leg had turned a grim shade of black. Necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating infection, was ravaging his limb.
Saving his life became the priority, and this meant removing the infection and excising a significant portion of muscle and skin, leaving the entire length of his tibia exposed.
“They got the infection under control in that sense, but (thought) maybe they still needed to cut off my leg,”
Smith recounted.
It was during this critical juncture that he was introduced to Dr. Vineet Mehan, a plastic surgeon who would play a pivotal role in his recovery.
Plastic Surgeons to the Rescue
With his dreams of returning to football hanging by a thread, Alex Smith’s primary concern was retaining the function of his leg so he could play with his children.
Dr. Mehan, along with a team of skilled surgeons, undertook an audacious procedure. They harvested muscle, fascia, fat, and skin from Smith’s thigh to meticulously reconstruct his damaged shin.
Dr. Mehan vividly recalled the moment he realized that Smith’s leg was indeed salvageable. This marked a turning point in the surgery, and there was newfound hope that Smith could retain his leg.
His Leg is Saved
The surgery proved successful, and Smith’s leg was saved. While playing tackle football again appeared to be incomprehensible, Smith’s craving to get back to the game was revived.
He was initially granted the “secretary of defense designation,” meant for civilians with warlike injuries, allowing access to military care.
Smith was encircled by patients with wounds more extreme than his, and their grit roused him to imagine a more promising time to come. As time elapsed, his leg developed further, as did his assurance to get back to football.
Did Alex Smith Return to the NFL?
Yes, doctors ultimately cleared Alex Smith to get back to football. At this point, within two or three months, he was ready to rock ‘n roll and expected a vital job in taking his group to the furthest limit of in-season games. By 2021, he had been named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Did Alex Smith Retire?
Yes, he has retired from proficient football beginning around 2021; however, Smith keeps on moving. He commits his chance to convincing talking, fills in as an ESPN broadcaster, and partakes in beneficent undertakings, particularly supporting foster teenagers in successfully advancing into adulthood.
Dr. Mehan saw Smith’s wonderful excursion and named him for the 2022 Patients of Courage Awards, a program that regards individuals who conquer trouble, add to their organizations, and go about as inspirations for others.
Alex Smith’s story is a showing of the valiant human spirit’s adaptability and steadfast confirmation to beat evidently incomprehensible troubles.
From the edge of losing his leg and battling a perilous illness to returning to the NFL as a Rebound Player of the Year, Smith’s process moves us all to defy setbacks with consistent intensity and confirmation.
His important rebound fills in as an update that, with the right assistance and a strong will, one can prevail over even the most overpowering of obstacles.
