Tonight on Monday Night Football, the division rival Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers face off at Lambeau Field.
Kelly Stafford, the wife of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, will be in the front row cheering on her husband. A few months ago, Kelly thought she might never get that chance.
In March, the Staffords discovered that Kelly, mother to her and Matthew’s three daughters, had a brain tumor. Although the tumor was benign, the Staffords made the decision to remove it immediately.
Matthew and Kelly sat with reporter Jeremy Schaap to detail just how their lives have changed the past seven months for a feature that will air tonight on Monday Night Countdown (6 p.m. ET, ESPN).
“I think the important thing here is how Kelly handled this,” said Schaap. “She made the decision to be very honest about her emotions and to share much of that during the process of recovery.”
Kelly, who had surgery in April, shared her journey with her social media followers in hopes that they might learn it’s OK to be afraid. Kelly also discussed her recovery in an ESPN.com story with Emily Kaplan.
“She faced a life-threatening condition with courage but also candor, about her fears. This experience of course changed Matthew, who’s been playing for so long but whose life off the field he has mostly chosen to keep private,” said Schaap.
In this rare interview, both Matthew and Kelly share the story of their frightening experience and how they’re moving forward with a new perspective on life.
