Barry Sanders opens up on harrowing health scare: ‘I couldn't believe it'
A year ago, the Hall of Famer announced he suffered a 'health scare related to his heart,' and he recently shared in a CBS interview that it was a heart attack while attending a recruiting visit for his son.
Sanders will be sharing more about the past year publicly in a documentary, 'The Marking of a Heart Attack', that will premiere on June 14 at 1 p.m. on A&E.
Advertisement
'I couldn't believe it, honestly,' Sanders shared in the documentary, per CBS. 'I thought it was like heartburn, but it just kind of persisted.'
On that morning last June, Sanders said that he could feel a burning sensation in his chest. Following an early exit from the recruiting visit, the Lions legend drove himself to the emergency room, where tests revealed that his enzyme levels were 'really high and getting higher.'
3 Barry Sanders at the 14th Annual NFL Honors held at Saenger Theatre on February 06, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Variety via Getty Images
Advertisement
From there, Sanders underwent a heart catheter procedure, which revealed he had suffered a heart attack.
'Of all things, I don't know why, that just never entered my mind,' Sanders said. 'I'm learning through this process that there aren't necessarily any warning signs, unless you do what we're encouraging people to do, which is to go the doctor, get tested for LDLC levels, or bad cholesterol. That's the only way to find out if you have high cholesterol. It's not something you're going to be able to feel. You don't have to fit a certain physical profile.'
In the documentary, Sanders wants to encourage people to get ahead of this.
Advertisement
Sanders, along with four others who have experienced a heart attack or stroke, uncover the hidden risks and impacts to be aware of in the documentary.
3 Former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders attends a ceremony honoring former wide receiver Calvin Johnson Jr. ('Megatron') being inducted into the Pride of the Lions during a game between the Detroit Lions and the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit, Michigan USA, on Monday, September 30, 2024.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
A preventative measure Sanders pushes is visiting attackheartdisease.com/test because he can only share his story, while everyone's heart health is vastly different.
He has said his health has greatly improved since the incident from walking more, making dietary changes and taking his medications.
Advertisement
'Sometimes it's hereditary and it's not like you're doing anything wrong,' Sanders said. 'There's a lot of different stories and examples out there. That's why it's important for people to have that conversation with their doctor.'
3 Former NFL player Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions reacts during the first half between the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs at Ford Field on January 14, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
Getty Images
'It's really been an education, for me, learning about how frequent this happens all over the U.S.,' he added. 'Conversing with these other individuals who are part of this documentary who have very insightful, gripping stories about the journey that they've been on. It's just really amazing. I think it will get a lot of people's attention.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
A debilitating mosquito-borne virus spreads to more regions of the world
The World Health Organization is warning that current transmission patterns resemble a global outbreak that infected 500,000 people 20 years ago, contributing to a surge of new disabilities. Advertisement Although it is rarely fatal, chikungunya causes excruciating and prolonged joint pain and weakness. 'You have people who were working, with no disabilities, and from one day to the next, they cannot even type on a phone, they can't hold a pen, a woman cannot even hold a knife to be able to cook for her family,' said Dr. Diana Rojas Alvarez, who leads chikungunya work at the WHO. 'It really impacts quality of life and also the economy of the country.' A worker sprayed insecticide to prevent the spread of Chikungunya in Guangdong Province, China, on Aug. 3. VCG/Getty Images What is chikungunya, and how dangerous is it? Like Zika and dengue fever, chikungunya is an RNA virus transmitted by mosquitoes. Two different species of mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, transmit chikungunya. Between four and eight days after a bite, a person can develop symptoms including fever, joint pain and a rash. Advertisement Unlike dengue and Zika infections, the majority of which are asymptomatic, chikungunya sickens most people it infects. In rare instances, chikungunya can kill young children and older adults. 'Fatality levels are low, but we really care about chikungunya because it leaves people with months or potentially years of debilitating pain,' said Scott Weaver, an expert and the scientific director of the Galveston National Laboratory in Texas. He added: 'That has not only an individual toll but also a social one, with strain on health care systems, economic impact, the demand on caregivers, a lot of things.' Chikungunya is often misdiagnosed as dengue, which causes the same symptoms at first. Dengue symptoms usually clear up in a week or two; chikungunya symptoms become chronic in as many as 40% of people infected, with debilitating joint pain lasting for months or years. Between 2005 and 2007, more than two-thirds of all the disabilities -- including those caused by cancer, arthritis and diabetes -- reported in India were the result of a chikungunya outbreak that was sweeping through the country. A vaccination against on La Reunion on April 7. RICHARD BOUHET/AFP via Getty Images Who is at risk? By the end of 2024, transmission of the virus had been reported in 199 countries, on every continent except Antarctica. The WHO estimates that 5.6 billion people live in areas where the mosquitoes that transmit the virus can live. These mosquitoes are daytime biters, feeding on people who are at work, at school or on a bus. Climate change is driving the spread of chikungunya-carrying mosquitoes in two ways. A warmer, wetter world provides more suitable habitat. And extreme weather events can cause more breeding in floods -- or displace people, who cluster in areas with poor water and sanitation supply. Advertisement The Aedes albopictus mosquito has markedly expanded its presence in Europe in recent years: The insect has been found in Amsterdam and Geneva. In South America, Aedes aegypti carries the virus and thrives in low-income neighborhoods in rapidly growing cities with patchy water systems. 'In the U.S. I don't think we're going to see massive outbreaks of chikungunya' because people in warm areas use air conditioning and spend a lot of time indoors, Weaver said. 'But in places like China and the Southern Cone of South America, the warming temperatures are going to have a big impact because people don't stay inside with air conditioners in their houses or their workplaces. They don't even like to screen their windows in many parts of Asia and South America.' People seem to become immune to chikungunya after an infection and so, if it sweeps through an area, it can be a couple of decades before there are enough immunologically vulnerable people to sustain another outbreak. But in places such as India and Brazil, populations are so large that the virus is circulating constantly. Many countries in Africa that did not have circulating chikungunya, such as Chad and Mali, have reported cases in the past few years. Residents walked past a sign urging mosquito control in Guangzhou, China, on Aug. 6, 2025. The message reads, "Let's work together to clear stagnant water and eliminate mosquito breeding". Uncredited/Associated Press Is there a vaccine? There are two vaccines for chikungunya, but they are produced in limited quantities for use mainly by travelers from industrialized countries. The newest vaccine, made by Bavarian Nordic, sells for about $270 per shot in the United States, a price well beyond the reach of a country such as Paraguay, which has had huge chikungunya outbreaks and would ideally vaccinate much of the population. Brazil's Butantan Institute is working on making a lower-cost version of another vaccine. Advertisement Neither vaccine currently has the kind of WHO recommendation that might lead to accelerated development of an affordable product. Doing a clinical trial of the kind the agency requires is difficult: Chikungunya outbreaks happen so fast that they're over before the research can begin. Rojas said the WHO's vaccine committee was reviewing chikungunya outbreak data to consider options for a possible recommendation. What else can be done? The best protection against chikungunya is not to get bitten. The next step is to reduce mosquito breeding sites. In China, public health officials are going house to house to look for stagnant water. Surveillance for chikungunya is still weak. Rojas said the WHO was trying to untangle how much of the current surge was new cases and how much was transmission that was already occurring but poorly tracked or reported. There is a molecular diagnostic test that screens for Zika, dengue and chikungunya at the same time, but more countries need to adopt it. Disease surveillance globally has been weakened by the abrupt cuts in funding from the U.S. government, which was supporting much of this work in low-income countries. Is this a new virus? Chikungunya was first identified in Tanzania in the 1950s, and caused sporadic outbreaks in Africa and Asia in the next decades. But the virus didn't attract much attention from public health specialists until 2004. That year, an outbreak in Kenya spread to La Réunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean. There, chikungunya raged through the population: One-third of the people on the island were infected. Advertisement That same strain of the virus made its way to South Asia, and caused huge outbreaks in India from 2005 to 2007. And from there travelers took chikungunya around the world. By late 2013, the virus had made its way to the Caribbean and once again began to tear through a population that lacked immunity. There were 1.8 million reported infections in the region by the end of 2015. Chikungunya then made its way down through South America -- and a new strain from Angola was introduced to Brazil at the same time -- and the two have been circulating since then. Chikungunya cases in South America have risen steadily since 2023, alongside a surge in dengue cases. This article originally appeared in
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Jack Draper, Jessica Pegula share funny post-match exchange at US Open: ‘Old married couple'
While Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula may have said all of four words to each other before teaming up for this week's U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament, the two already sound like an 'old married couple,' one reporter joked during a hilarious back-and-forth on Tuesday. Pegula and Draper were speaking with reporters after they had defeated Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva to advance to the semifinals. Draper was asked about his seriousness on the court during the matches and what it would mean to win, he replied that 'it would mean a lot' and that 'obviously it is like a bit of an exhibition format. It's nice to play with someone.' Advertisement Jessica Pegula of the US and Jack Draper of Britain confer during their first round mixed doubles match against Britain's Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain at the US Open on August 19, 2025. AFP via Getty Images That kicked off a funny exchange as Pegula jokingly admonished Draper for calling it an 'exhibition.' 'You shouldn't be saying that, but that's OK,' she said to him. The No. 5-ranked men's tennis player in the world was a bit confused at first, thinking that his comment about winning was what Pegula had first been referring to. Advertisement 'Yeah. It's not an exhibition. I know what you're saying,' she added. 'I'm hearing that a lot, it's a bit of an exhibition, a bit of fun, why am I so locked in,' Draper continued. 'It's a good opportunity to play, do well, get a lot of points in before next week, yeah. Like, I'm enjoying being locked in. I don't know why it's a crime to be locked in.' The moment amused Pegula as she jumped back in laughing as she said, 'No, it's fine. I'm just laughing at the 'exhibition' part.' Advertisement Jessica Pegula of United States and Jack Draper of Great Britain play Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Emma Raducanu of Great Britain during the mixed doubles first round at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 19, 2025. Getty Images It led the reporter to chime in about the two sounding like they had known each other for quite some time. 'No, it was a great answer,' Pegula added with a smile. The pair certainly played like they've known each other for a long time as Pegula and Draper dispatched their first round opponents, 4-2, 4-2 and then sent their quarterfinal opponents home in quick order, 4-1,4-1. Advertisement Pegula and Draper will face the No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek and Casper Rudd in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Isaac TeSlaa stuns D.J. Reed with highlight catch at Detroit Lions practice
Isaac TeSlaa stuns D.J. Reed with highlight catch at Detroit Lions practice originally appeared on The Sporting News Detroit Lions rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa continues to turn heads this offseason. TeSlaa has routinely been a standout during training camp, and that has not changed in the Lions' three preseason contests, each of which have seen the Arkansas product shine. The Michigan native continued his red-hot summer at practice on Tuesday, when he reeled-in the "catch of the day" with cornerback D.J. Reed in coverage, leaving the veteran stunned. "Catch of the day: Rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa had a one-on-one rep with veteran cornerback D.J. Reed early in practice and TeSlaa made a terrific over the shoulder catch right at the pylon of the end zone with Reed in pretty good coverage," Tim Twentyman of wrote. "Even Reed couldn't believe the catch as he looked over at TeSlaa and asked him if he really caught it." It would appear that this is the catch. TeSlaa was one of the most surprising selections in the 2025 NFL draft, as not only was he not on anyone's radar in the third round, the Lions traded up to get him. So far, it looks like general manager Brad Holmes knew exactly what he was doing. TeSlaa had two catches for 46 yards in the Hall of Fame Game and has scored touchdowns in each of the last two exhibition contests. "He's playing wide receiver like how we like our guys to play," Holmes said to Kay Adams on the Up & Adams Show onMonday. "He's blocking, he's training in the run game. I know when you hear blocking in the run game from a wide receiver, it's like, 'Well, you've got to catch the football,' but that just shows a lot about the competitiveness and the desire of just a football player in general." "He started to catch up and he's started to understand the physicality it takes," Jared Goff said of TeSlaa. "He certainly has a chance to have a role in our offense and has done a great job getting better every day." With TeSlaa ascending and Tim Patrick having a quiet camp overall that has also seen him deal with injury, there is a thought that the rookie could steal some snaps away from the veteran sooner rather than later. At the very least, we should see TeSlaa getting some playing time early on in the season, and not just on special teams. MORE DETROIT LIONS NEWS Detroit Lions rookie Ahmed Hassanein offers encouraging injury update Brad Holmes was asked about trading for Trey Hendrickson. Here's what he said Detroit Lions predicted to cut 46-game starter in favor of two rookies 3 Detroit Lions who could pull off upsets to make the 53-man roster
