Payton needs liver transplant
Bears' Hall of Fame tailback has rare disease
Posted: Thursday February 04, 1999 12:57 AM
| |
Walter Payton (right) is accompanied by his son, Jarrett, at an emotional news conference. Payton said he wanted to dispell any rumors. AP |
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- Walter Payton, gaunt, tearful and barely resembling
the dashing, durable Chicago
Bears' Hall of Famer who rushed his way into the NFL record books, got
to the point quickly on Tuesday:
He has a rare liver disease and needs a transplant to live.
"To the people that really care about me, just continue praying," said the
44-year-old Payton, who choked up when he embraced his 17-year-old son,
Jarrett.
The disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis, afflicts just three in
100,000 people, said Payton's physician, Dr. Joseph Lagattuta. The cause of
the disease, which blocks the bile ducts, is unknown, but isn't related to
alcohol, steroids, hepatitis or immune deficiency, he said.
Patients in Payton's condition survive an average of two years unless they
receive a liver transplant, Lagattuta said. Symptoms include fatigue and
jaundice -- yellowing of the pigment of the eyes and skin.
Asked if he was scared, the NFL's all-time rushing leader snapped: "Am I
scared? Hell yeah, I'm scared. Wouldn't you be scared?"
"But it's not in my hands anymore," he added. "It's in God's hands."
In 13 years with the Bears, Payton's trademarks were his vaulting
goal-line leaps and a punishing running style. He stiff-armed and barreled
past tacklers in the open field almost as often as he dodged them.
Rumors about Payton's health spread last week after he appeared at a news
conference where his son announced he would play college football for
Miami. Payton said those rumors prompted his disclosure.
"We wanted to get everything straight before things got bad," said Payton,
who wore sunglasses and an NFL jacket and blue jeans that couldn't hide his
thinness.
Payton is being evaluated for a transplant at the Mayo Clinic, where
former Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker received a liver transplant in 1996 for
the same disease. Tucker was on a waiting list for four months.
Lagattuta said 88 percent of people who receive a liver transplant are
alive after a year, and the long-term survival rate is "very promising." He
said most patients can return to an active life if they receive a
transplant.
Patients in Payton's condition survive an average of two years without a
transplant, the doctor said.
Doctors say he won't get preferential treatment because of his celebrity.
News of Payton's illness sobered those who knew him as a muscular,
fearless player.
"We're all humans and regardless of how rich we are, how fortunate we are,
whatever we may be, things like this happen," said retired Bears fullback
Roland Harper, who blocked for Payton.
Payton is the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards Allen Deane Steele/ |
|
Former Bears coach Mike Ditka called Payton "the greatest football player
I've ever seen."
"Plus, he's one of the sweetest human beings I know," Ditka said from New
Orleans. "And if that's not important, I don't know what is."
Bears owners Ed and Virginia McCaskey issued a brief statement saying they
were "devastated to hear that Walter is sick."
"He's a very dear person to our family and the entire Bears organization.
We'll do all we can to help Walter in his current battle."
Said NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue: "The love, support and prayers of
the entire NFL are with him."
Lagattuta said the disease is difficult to diagnose and can go undetected
for years. He initially thought it might be a gall bladder problem when
Payton told him in October that he had felt ill for a few months. The liver
problem was diagnosed within the last two weeks.
Lagattuta said Payton has significant bile-duct blockage. To aid his
digestion and give him adequate nutrition, a plastic tube was surgically
inserted between the vessel that carries bile from the liver to the
intestines.
"It's amazing, I can eat anything I want, as much as I want, and I still
can't gain any weight," Payton said.
In his final season with the Bears in 1987, the 5-11 Payton was listed at
202 pounds.
Asked how much he weighed now, Payton wouldn't say.
Instead, he replied: "You want to pick me up?"
It probably wouldn't be that hard.
A first-round draft pick from Jackson State in 1975, Payton carried the
load for mediocre Bears teams early in his career before leading Chicago to
its only Super Bowl appearance, after the 1985 season.
Selected to nine Pro Bowls and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 1993, the player known as 'Sweetness' holds NFL career records for yards
gained, 16,726, and carries, 3,838.
He posted 77 100-yard games and 10 1,000-yard rushing seasons. His
275-yard rushing performance against Minnesota in 1977 still stands as the
NFL record for most rushing yards in a game.
After retiring from football, Payton co-owned an Indy-CART auto-racing
team and ran a restaurant and other businesses in the Chicago area. He
served on the Bears board of directors and joined groups seeking NFL
franchises.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
