Kelly Stafford, wife of Detroit Lions QB, to have brain surgery Wednesday

The wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor on Wednesday, according to an Instagram post by her brother.

Kelly Stafford announced on the social media site earlier this month that she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor and had elected to undergo surgery.

On Tuesday, Stafford took to Instagram to say she was packing for the hospital and "excited for this journey to come to an end and move on with my life!"

Chad Hall, Kelly's brother and an offensive assistant with the Buffalo Bills, posted a picture of Stafford in a hospital bed and asked for prayers for his sister.

"Please pray for my baby sister’s surgery today," he wrote. "Philippians 4:6-7 “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Thank you!"

Dr. Jack Rock, a neurosurgeon at Henry Ford Health System and co-director of its Skull Base, Pituitary and Endoscopy Center, told the Free Press earlier this month that surgeries like the one Kelly Stafford said she’ll undergo typically require a short stay in intensive care and perhaps another week in the hospital.

Matthew Stafford has remained away from the Lions at the start of offseason conditioning this week to support his wife, and the team has declined comment on when they expect him back.

In Phase 1 of the NFL's offseason program, which runs through next week, players are not allowed to take part in football drills under the supervision of coaches.

In Phase 2, teams graduate to player instruction and offensive and defensive drills.

Lions center Graham Glasgow said Tuesday that he spoke to Stafford recently and that "he’s doing well and their family — I think their family’s doing well."

"It’s really hard to kind of touch upon this situation," Glasgow said. "It’s a really tough time for him and his family. And him and Kelly are extremely tough people and this is something that’s bigger than football. So it’s just something that I feel like we’re all taking upon ourselves to make sure that we are getting the team (ready in his absence)."

Stafford, entering his 11th NFL season, is the Lions' career leader in most passing categories. He has the third-longest ironman streak among starting quarterbacks at 128 consecutive starts.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.