Report: Albert Haynesworth 'very optimistic' after plea for kidney sparks hundreds of calls and offers
It appears Albert Haynesworth’s public plea for a kidney had just the effect the former Pro Bowl defensive tackle was hoping for.
Haynesworth took to Instagram on Wednesday to ask the world for a kidney after he reportedly experienced kidney failure last Sunday.
Albert Haynesworth receives outpouring of support
According to a statement from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center released to the Knoxville New Sentinel, the hospital has received more than a thousand calls and offers for organ donation “from well-wishers and individuals expressing interest."
While any prospective donors will have to meet physical stipulations and test positively as a match for an organ transplant, the outpour of support is good news for Haynesworth.
One family member of Haynesworth’s reportedly told the News Sentinel that the two-time All-Pro is “very optimistic” a day after his Instagram post, which the member said was the doctors’ idea.
Haynesworth’s kidneys have reportedly not completely shut down, though he still required two rounds of dialysis on Monday and Tuesday. His doctors reportedly hope that dialysis will build the kidneys back up, but a transplant seems like the best-case scenario for his long-term health.
Not Albert Haynesworth’s first medical problem
It has been eight years since Haynesworth retired from the NFL in 2011, and he has seen no shortage of medical issues since.
He revealed in a radio interviews three years ago that he nearly died from two brain aneurysms in 2015, spending 11 days in the ICU after undergoing surgery to reduce the swelling in his brain. The aneurysms were reportedly only found after a doctor noticed his blood pressure had spiked.
Haynesworth said the ordeal left him with serious long-term side effects in his brain.
"A lot of things, I just can't remember. I don't feel as sharp as I used to as far as problem-solving and answering questions and things,” Haynesworth said. "It sounds crazy, but sometimes, writing my own name, I kind of forget the signature of how I normally write. Or sending long texts, my words get backwards.
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