this is terrible
 

not sure how mnay of you guys were even aware of this. i wasn't but it is a real shame

NFL: Heyward's brain tumor returns
John Hollis - Staff
Saturday, March 11, 2006

Craig Heyward was the NFL's version of a battering ram, one who preferred to run over defenders rather than around them.

But a recurring brain tumor has left the once-powerful man, who was hailed as "Ironhead" during an 11-year NFL career, fighting for his life at Emory Hospital.

Heyward, 39, will undergo surgery Monday following the recent news that a tumor --- called a chordoma --- had returned. The rare, slow-growing tumors tend to recur, sometimes more aggressively, after their initial removal.

The news was the latest setback for Heyward, a former Pro Bowl running back with the Falcons who was first diagnosed with the chordoma while playing with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. His three sons were with him Friday when word came of the surgery needed to reduce the pressure on his brain and keep him alive.

"He's just scared," said his ex-wife, Charlotte Blackwell. "He keeps telling his sons how much he loves them."

The five-year survival rate for patients with chordomas is 50 percent, said Dr. Chris Krubert, of the Apollo MD Physician Services of Atlanta; odds drop to 35 percent after 10 years.

"It's a poor prognosis, once diagnosed," he said.

"At first, I was depressed and wondering, 'Why me?,' " Heyward said recently. "I was like 'Why me? Why me? Why me?'

"But then I realized that didn't do any good. It just happens. I came to the realization that some things are the work of the devil. I just need to move on. The quicker you move on, the quicker you heal."

Heyward was blind in one eye and in need of a wheelchair when an MRI last week confirmed the chordoma's return.

He had been clinging to hope he would be able to walk onto the football field with his oldest son, Cameron, on Senior Night at Peachtree Ridge High School in Duluth this fall.

News of his plight had been slow to reach former teammates and coaches, but all were taken aback by the news.

"You just don't think of things like this happening to a guy his age and as athletic with that kind of strength," said Jim Mora Sr., who drafted Heyward while with the Saints and later coached him with the Colts. "It's a shame; it's a tragedy. Hopefully, he'll be able to get better and get through this."

Heyward's treatment following his first diagnosis included a 13-hour surgery to remove as much as possible of the non-cancerous mass, followed by two grueling months of powerful radiation treatments, two hours a day, five days a week.

Heyward played for five teams during his career, enjoying his only Pro Bowl season with the Falcons in 1995 after rushing for 1,093 yards and six touchdowns. In 145 career games, he totaled 4,286 yards and 30 touchdowns.

RE: this is terrible
 

I wish him the best and I'll say a prayer for the guy. He is one of my all time favorite Saints... loved the way he ran the football.

RE: this is terrible
 

Love this guy, I wish him and his family nothing but the best. If anyone can pull through this it is "IRONHEAD".

RE: this is terrible
 

i believe they are calling him tumorhead now. oh man i know that is bad and wrong. god is going to give me something aweful soon. i am sorry

RE: this is terrible
 

I see nothing funny about calling him tumorhead, this guy is in a fight for his life, I for one won't joke about such a thing.
I wish him well and hope he beats it..

RE: this is terrible
 

hey LTF who cares what you think. i am the that put the story on here because i care. so do me a favor and open up real wide

RE: this is terrible
 

C'mon spkb25, show a lil class. Were u cracking jokes about Katrina as well???


Saintsfan1313

RE: this is terrible
 

My thoughts goes out to Craig Heyward and his family. I hope he wil get trough this and make a swift recovery.

RE: this is terrible
 

spkb..grow up, do you even know what a tumor is?, probably not, no, it's not related to football. (smile)

RE: this is terrible
 

it is a joke. it is meant to be funny. that doesn't mean it is meant to make lite of the actual situation. it doesn't mean i don't care about the mans health. of course i do. it is a joke. i am not even getting into what i said and thought of katrina because we are talking about two completely different situations. you don't want to hear what i said about the people stuck after katrina. honestly you do not want to hear it. if i felt like arguing the situation again i would but i don't. i care for the man and hope he beats it. truly i feel that way. i just couldn't resist, it was begging for me to say it and i just didn't have enough will power. who the hell are you to tell me to show a little class. i respect your comment and don't mind it because that is what we are here for, but you c'mon. laugh bro,we are all going to die. i didn't **** on his grave man. i made a joke. it isn't that bad. people are to touchy anymore. it is a joke. laugh or feel the way you do. either way it doesn't matter to me. i still hope the man lives and doen't have it happen to him again. bro i am going to tell you something that is way to personal for me to share with you when i don't even know you, but if you don't laugh man you will find that all you do is cry over life. not your life but other peoples lives. everyone has it bad man. kids born with cancer. kids that don't make it past a year. kids that are still born. people that lose their sight. people that can never walk again. poeple that lose arms, legs, ect. everything is a tragedy, might as well laugh, not because you don't care but because if you don't all you will do is cry. im out