T.J. Olsen.Photo: Greg Olsen/instagram
Greg Olsen’s 8-year-old son T.J. is thanking everyone who supported him as heunderwent heart surgerylast week.
On Monday, three days following the surgery on Friday, the former NFL tight end, 36, shared aspecial videorecording of his son from the hospital, writing that T.J. had “a message for everyone out there.”
“Hi, everybody,” said T.J. — who wasborn with a rare conditioncalled hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning he had just half a heart. “Thank you for thinking of me. Thank you for praying with me.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In an update over the weekend, Olsen wrote that he and his wife Kara were still waiting for T.J. to wake up following the heart transplant, but that “all early signs have been positive.”
“TJ is resting comfortably following his transplant yesterday. His team of doctors and nurses have been incredible. He was able to have his chest closed today and we’re hopeful he can start to wake up over the next day or so,” he captioned an image of T.J. in his hospital bed.
“Your prayers and well wishes have been working and we’re beyond grateful,” he added. “Our boy is a fighter and we can wait to talk to him!”
On May 24, Olsen revealed that T.J. had beenhospitalizeddue to issues with his heart.
“As many of you know, our son TJ has faced serious heart issues since birth. TJ has already undergone 3 open heart surgeries and has survived with a modified heart for his first 8 years,” the retired athleteshared in an emotional social media post. “Unfortunately, it seems his heart is reaching its end.”
Four days later, Olsen — who is also dad to T.J.’s twin sister Talbot and older son Tate — shared that T.J. had been officiallyadded to the heart transplant list.
“We don’t know how long it will be, but we have started the race,” he wrote at the time. “It is not lost on us that a life must be lost for his life to be saved. Our hearts break with the thought.”
Greg Olsen/instagram
Want to get the biggest stories fromPEOPLEevery weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast,PEOPLE Every Day,to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
When it was time for his son’s heart transplant on Friday, Olsen wrote that the “day we have prayed for has arrived.”
“We were alerted last night that there was a donor match for TJ to receive his heart transplant,” he wrote, alongside a photo of himself and his wife holding their son’s hand at the hospital. “Walking our little boy, with tears of hope and fear in our eyes, was one of the toughest moments of our lives.”
Olsen added, “We ask for everyone’s prayers for TJ and his amazing team of doctors and nurses. TJ has a long road ahead of him but today is a huge step forward. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the outpouring of support through this entire journey.”
source: people.com
