Brisbane Lions icon Jonathan Brown has opened up on his harrowing battle with a brain tumour.
The footy legend’s life was turned upside down when a routine scan led to emergency brain surgery.
The 44-year-old underwent the procedure in March to remove a low-grade tumour, a discovery he describes as a “ticking time bomb” inside his head. The surgery was a success.
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In an interview with Fox Footy, Brown opened up on the emotional toll the diagnosis took on his family and the heartbreaking moment he shared the news with his children.
“Jack’s 13, little Min is 11 and Olivia is 16,” Brown said in a sit-down interview with good friend Garry Lyon.
Jonathan Brown interview. Fox Footy
“Liv’s a bit like me, probably a bit stoic. Jack, even though he’s a bit of a rugby league knockabout, he’s the sensitive one of the family.
“He come and gave me the biggest cuddle I’ve ever copped from anyone. He had tears, he just wouldn’t let go. He squeezed me that tight he nearly snapped me in half.
“The worst thing you want to do in your life is break your kid’s heart. It felt like you were on the precipice. I tell you what, I was ready to fight when I saw their faces after that.”
The diagnosis came as a shock to the Fox Footy commentator, who had been in peak physical condition just days prior to the scan.
“Seven weeks ago I was training the house down. You saw me Gaz, I was fit as a fiddle and I was shooting the lights out on the golf course. A day later your life changes,” Brown said.
“I didn’t know, I was walking around with a ticking time bomb in my head.
“So it’s a great message for everyone, not just ex-footballers. For everyone.”
After the surgery had a “positive outcome,” Brown and wife Kylie shared a photo on Instagram from the triple-premiership Lion’s hospital bed announcing the medical news.
Brown played 256 games for the Lions between 2000 and 2014, serving as captain between 2007 and 2013 and won three AFL premierships between 2001 and 2003. He presented the Lions the premiership cup after they won last year’s grand final against the Cats.
Jonathan Brown in 2011. Getty
“The initial phone call, that was hard, too. Because Dad has lost Mum and I have to make that phone call,” Brown said.
“Got to the end of it all, I explained it, I said: ‘Mate, I’m gonna’ have go to Melbourne for surgery. I’ve got a brain tumour’.
“He had to take stock of it and there was a bit of silence on the phone … then he said: ‘What do you reckon, do you reckon we will still make the Masters?'”
The AFL community has rallied around the figure, who is expected to return to his commentary duties at Fox Footy in the coming weeks.