Patriot legend and three-time Super Bowl champ Tedy Bruschi on Thursday suffered a type of stroke — a TIA — that one Boston doctor said could lead to a more serious attack if not properly addressed.
Bruschi’s foundation, Tedy’s Team, announced via Twitter Friday the former New England Patriot linebacker was recovering at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro. Reports stated he was later released.
Tedy's Team has issued the following statement on behalf of the Bruschi family. pic.twitter.com/CuwmHobvl3
— Tedy's Team® (@TedysTeam) July 5, 2019
A transient ischemic attack is a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain that doesn’t cause permanent damage. The condition is also known as a mini-stroke.
Dr. Ali Aziz-Sultan, chief of vascular/endovascular neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who is not Bruschi’s doctor, said patients like 46-year-old Bruschi who suffer from a TIA usually recover 100 percent.
“There is a tiny little clot that has gone up and it quickly sort of dissolves so there’s no permanent damage,” said Sultan, adding that the clots can come from anywhere like the head, neck or brain.
Sultan said a TIA is a warning sign that another, larger stroke may be coming, so once someone recognizes the symptoms, it’s important to seek medical attention right away, as Bruschi did Thursday.
“The reason for any urgency is that you have to come find out what the underlying cause is,” said Sultan. “If you can get to the hospital, within a 3 to 4 hour window there’s a lot that can be done to break that clot up and restore blood flow. If you go after that time, the brain dies.”
Sultan said a TIA patient will normally stay in the hospital for a day or two while doctors determine the cause of the stroke and then recommend treatment like surgery or medication.
Bruschi anchored Patriots defenses at middle linebacker from 1996-2008. He spent his entire professional career in New England. In February 2005, just after his first Pro Bowl appearance, Bruschi suffered a stroke. He was 31 years old. Incredibly, Bruschi returned to the field the following October, earning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
“I’m a football player by trade. That’s what I do,” Bruschi told the Associated Press at the time. “So I did everything I could to make myself a football player again.”
He later founded “Tedy’s Team,” a running group that raises funds for the American Stroke Association.
“Since his full recovery from a stroke in 2005, Tedy Bruschi has provided inspiration to so many and positively impacted the lives of others by sharing his story and advocating for early detection of stroke symptoms,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “While shocked to hear of his recent stroke, known as TIA, we are relieved to learn that he recognized the early symptoms and immediately sought and received treatment. On behalf of the entire Patriots organization, we extend our love, thoughts, and prayers to Tedy and the Bruschi family while we wish him godspeed in a complete recovery.”
Following his retirement from the NFL, Bruschi caught on as an analyst for ESPN. He has performed in-studio work for the network, and recently earned a promotion to the signature show, “Sunday NFL Countdown.”
