Jerome Harrison found out he was in poor health last year when the Lions traded him to the Eagles, and the physical in Philadelphia revealed a brain tumor. Since then he’s also found out just what a wonderful wife he has.
Harrison went into surgery shortly after doctors found his brain tumor, and a year later his wife, Michelle, is still shaking her head at how difficult his recovery has been.
“There was literally complication after complication,” Michelle says in a lengthy profile of the Harrisons by Anwar S. Richardson of MLive.com. “He had a blood clot in his brain, they had to go back in and get the blood clot out. He had strokes. He had angioplasty. He had infections. He had Hydrocephalus. He had nasal spasms. There are these complications. The doctors were saying to prepare and make sure you have all of your finances in order. Make sure the life insurance is where it needs to be. Make sure your estate planning is all intact because if he makes it, you don’t know what he’ll be, and if he doesn’t make it, you need to be prepared for that.”
Jerome is still a long way from being able to move like he could as an NFL running back, but he’s walking again and living his life. Richardson’s profile goes into all the gory details, including the fact that Michelle, who was six months pregnant with their second child when the brain tumor was discovered, had to wipe Jerome every day after his surgery because he had lost control of his lower extremities.
“That is pure amazing,” Jerome said. “At the time, I was an independent brother, so if she supported me, so what? If she didn’t, so what? But to see somebody have your back like that? It is amazing. No matter the scenario, she is going to be there, whether you like it or don’t like it. My wife is going to be there. You learn how to appreciate it. She doesn’t know this, but there have been many a day that she has kept me going when I wanted to give up. That’s what can’t be expressed. You can’t put a dollar amount on that.”
It’s been a long road to recovery for Harrison, and it’s not over. He’s lucky to have a good wife by his side.