Tedy

Three years after a stroke, Bruschi's back for his fifth Super Bowl
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

January 29, 2008

PHOENIX -- Nearly three years after Tedy Bruschi's brush with death, his locker stall overflows with fan mail. Consider the passion with which the New England Patriots defensive captain performs, and it's easy to forget he suffered a stroke in February 2005. But the thousands of fans who fill the plastic mail bins at Gillette Stadium with missives detailing their own setbacks and why Bruschi inspires them -- well, they've got long memories.

"To tell you the truth, I receive all kinds of stories of adversity, whether they are cancer survivors or stroke survivors," said Bruschi, preparing for his fifth Super Bowl appearance, earlier this week. "If any of those people tell me they've been able to draw inspiration from what I've been able to do … it's incredibly honoring."

Ask yourself this: As unparalleled as the Patriots' 2007 season has been, what is the more remarkable achievement? That this team is poised on the brink of NFL history, just one victory removed from the greatest season ever? Or that its spiritual and emotional leader was able to resume his career and again perform at a high level only eight months after suffering a stroke?

For many New England veterans, it is hardly a rhetorical question. "What we've done," strong safety Rodney Harrison said, "is sport, not real life. What Tedy accomplished, it's pretty much a miracle, really. I mean, come on now, the two aren't even close."

It happened in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2005. It was only 10 days after Bruschi's interception of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb helped seal a 24-21 New England victory in Super Bowl XXXIX and only three days after the lone Pro Bowl appearance of his 12-year career. Bruschi was snapped from a deep sleep by a throbbing pain in his neck and numbness in his left side. He attempted to go back to sleep, but the pain persisted, and when he sat up in bed, he noticed an absence of equilibrium and loss of his peripheral vision.

His wife, Heidi, made the 911 call, and within a few hours, specialists at Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed that Bruschi, at just 31 years of age, had suffered a stroke. Doctors subsequently determined that the stroke likely was precipitated by a blood clot traveling through a small hole in his heart, and just one month later, Bruschi underwent a procedure to address what is believed to have been a congenital defect.

Then began a period that Heidi Bruschi recently termed "the doubting time," when it appeared her husband might not play again, when merely regaining basic motor skills took precedence over sacking the quarterback on a delayed blitz up the middle. "It was literally one step at a time," she recalled.

In May of that year, Bruschi acknowledged that he was uncertain he would ever play again. Two months later, The Associated Press reported he would miss the 2005 campaign. In September, Bruschi announced that he intended to return to the Patriots for the 2006 season. And then, on Oct. 16, only eight months after the stroke, he said he would come back for the remainder of the 2005 season. Two weeks later, in a 21-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills, he recorded 10 tackles in his return performance.

More: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs07/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=3220216

http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history

I had forgotten about them winning in '97

New England Patriots 21
Green Bay Packers 35

but hopefully his fourth ring. The Pats lost to GB in '97.