Many of us are familiar with the phrase “life isn’t fair.” Whether we have personally experienced pain or grief, or
have observed others go through difficult times, that saying frequently accompanies a sense of pessimism and
despair.
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Having said that, miracles can bring us back. Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has direct
experience with bad luck and unspeakable trauma, as evidenced by his life-threatening knee injury and the diagnosis
of his daughter, Sloane, with a brain tumor in May 2022.
Along with Smith’s open disclosures about the discovery, Jonathan Abrams shared the story of Sloane Smith in an
extraordinary interview with The New York Times on September 1.
“[Smith had] never been terrified, he said, when doctors told him his right leg could have to be amputated. Or when
he lined up under center and placed that leg in the sights of 300-pound warriors sent to crush him,” Abrams wrote in
the story. “Smith still felt in charge. “His body was on the line.”
The reporter then quoted the quarterback, who stated candidly: “It’s different when it’s your little girl, and you’re
helpless with how terrifying that is.”
Abrams headed his feature story with the quote, undoubtedly appreciating the significance of the words given
everything Smith had been through in the years leading up to his daughter’s brain tumor diagnosis. “You just have
no idea what it means,” Smith told Abrams later. “The words brain tumor are terrifying.”
Fortunately, after two difficult surgeries for Smith and his family, Sloane was able to come out the other side after
fighting for her life.
