Rugby league and rugby union legend Sonny Bill Williams has opened up about a serious health scare after undergoing his fourth neck surgery. The 40-year-old former NRL star and boxer revealed that an infection developed near his spinal cord, forcing him back to the emergency department and requiring a second operation within a week.
Infection Close to Spinal Cord
Williams said his troubles began a few days after the initial surgery when he woke up with a fever, vomiting, and pus oozing from the wound. He rushed to hospital and has been there for several days. “The worrying a bit about this whole thing — it’s so close to my spinal cord, the infection, so inshallah (God willing) in the next couple of days things will come good,” he said.
His wife Alana added that he underwent a second surgery to clean out the infection and an abscess sitting on his spinal cord. “Alhamdullilah all went well and recovering slowly,” she said.
Perspective from the Emergency Ward
While in hospital, Williams said he gained perspective from other patients. He saw a woman who had just finished chemotherapy but was back because more cancerous cells were found. He also witnessed a grown man crying in pain because he couldn't get adequate pain relief. Another man had flown from the other side of the country to battle cancer, and yet another patient had no stomach but remained optimistic.
“Health is a crown that only the sick can see,” Williams said, quoting a recent inspiration. He added, “Being here in this space, man, it’s just made my problems, not just in here with my health, but outside of my household, and what we go through, it just seems like that (small). It’s made me so grateful for all the challenges, because they’re all blessings.”
A Warning to Young Athletes
Earlier this month, Williams shared a video message about his surgery, warning young athletes and parents about the realities of professional sport. “Understand this is the reality sometimes of the sport that we love and play. And to remember professional sport at the highest level is a business,” he said.
He noted that no one from his former teams or organisations was helping him with bills now. “I ain’t got no one here paying my bills from back in the days — no organisations, no CEOs ringing me making sure I’m OK. In a high-performance space, if you’re not performing, what will happen? See you later with a handshake.”
Advice for the Future
Williams, who dropped out of school at 15 but later earned a university degree, stressed the importance of having a backup plan. “I’m an anomaly. Dropping out of school, putting all my eggs in one basket, I am an anomaly — so have a back-up plan. Study, trade, whatever it may be, whatever it may look like. Cause majority of people now, that career, that lifespan is very, very short.”
He concluded by saying he was about to go in for another surgery from years of battling his body.
