On Saturday, June 25, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith shared terrible personal news about one
of his three children via Instagram.
Smith, who retired from the NFL in 2021, said that his youngest kid, Sloane, needed surgery to remove a brain
tumor, and that the family had a “challenging time” during the terrifying journey.
Smith detailed the health scare, including a few images of his only daughter and an MRI of the tumor.
“This is Sloane Kenzington Smith, our baby, the youngest of three and our only girl,” Smith stated in an email. “She
is sweet, selfless, bright, amusing, witty, fun-loving, an artist, a singer, and an incredible dancer. Most importantly,
she is an extraordinarily strong girl with a lot of fighting spirit.”
The former quarterback clarified that the photograph of Slone with a unicorn painted on her face was shot in May,
before the family’s “lives changed.”
“On May 10th, Sloane was taken to the ER with stroke-like symptoms.” She underwent an MRI, and the physicians
promptly informed us that she had a big brain tumor that required an emergency craniotomy.
“The 10-hour treatment was the most painful experience of our lives. A clock has never moved this slowly. The
excellent neurosurgeons at Stanford Children’s did a spectacular job, removing 100% of the tumor.”
Fortunately, Smith reported that his youngest had returned to her old, energetic self following the procedure.
“Sloane—in her actual form—recovered from brain surgery like a rockstar! She did not miss a beat. After weeks of
waiting for pathology results, we discovered that Sloane’s tumor is a very unusual malignant tumor with very few
reported cases—and no clear treatment plan. To determine the best course of action, we are now awaiting additional
tests and getting as many opinions as possible from doctors across the country. We wish this was simple and
straightforward, and that someone had provided us with a how-to guide. It is anything but that.