\u201cThe doctor said, \u2018It\u2019s a miracle that you found it because it\u2019s a case where a perfectly fit-looking person could drop dead\u2019,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever done. Day two, I thought I wasn\u2019t going to make it. It was crazy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so grateful. The doctor I seen this morning, he\u2019s just told me that having this heart implication throughout my life would have implicated me and my sporting career. And upon reflecting, I feel like towards my late-20s, I definitely felt like I couldn\u2019t get as fit as I used to …<\/p>\n
\u201dBecause my heart was 7.5cms, it was about to pop as the doctors said. Alhamdulillah [Praise be to God].<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now, the doctors said that I\u2019ve got a better heart than when I walked in here because it\u2019s more efficient now. The magnitude of the surgery, two open-heart surgeries in one, and it\u2019s been so successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video shows Williams before and after the surgery, and one part shows doctors taking his plaster off to reveal a massive scar down his chest.<\/p>\n
Williams also recorded a conversation with O\u2019Keefe, whom he presented with a signed All Blacks jersey.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Keefe explained that Williams had undergone a Ross procedure for his aortic valve.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of the only operations in cardiac surgery we do that puts you back on a normal life expectancy curve,\u201d O\u2019Keefe said.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt\u2019s basically a donated human organ.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pulmonary valve doesn\u2019t have viable cells in it so there\u2019s no rejection or anything like that. But it does cause a bit of an inflammatory response and that\u2019s why you\u2019re feeling like you\u2019ve been whacked by a truck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams said there were times during his career where he struggled with fitness and this diagnosis answers some questions he had from not reaching the levels he wanted to.<\/p>\n
Sonny Bill Williams shows off his scar after open-heart surgery. Photo \/ Sonny Bill Williams<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to speak to my wife all the time, saying, \u2018I\u2019m training this hard, but I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m as fit\u2019, especially when it came to the boxing side of things,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n
During his career, Williams won two NRL premierships with the Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters, while also winning two Rugby World Cups with the All Blacks.<\/p>\n
Since retiring, Williams has been living in Sydney with his wife and their five children.<\/p>\n
Williams has dabbled inside the boxing ring, most recently fighting former Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen which ended in a split-decision defeat<\/a>, bringing his professional record to 9-2.<\/p>\n Williams continues to work as a rugby union analyst for Stan Sport, and he has been named as the inaugural Pro-Chancellor of Albukhary International University.<\/p>\n He also has a taco store, called Sonny\u2019s Eats in Western Sydney.<\/p>\n