Case 6: Walter Payton
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| Walter Payton (1953-1999) playing for the Chicago Bears |
One of the greatest players in the history of American football, Walter Payton was known for his exceptional skill and toughness, missing only a single game during his record-setting thirteen seasons in the NFL. He was also known as a very kind and generous man off the field, earning him the nickname “Sweetness” among his fans and teammates. Twelve years after his retirement, he held a press conference announcing that he was suffering from a rare disease and would need a liver transplant to survive. His doctors commented that the condition had caused Walter to lose a lot of weight, and “wasn’t related to alcohol, steroids, hepatitis, or immune deficiency.” It also went unnoticed for years before he presented with weight loss, fatigue, and most likely pruritus. As the disease progressed he became increasingly incapacitated and needed stents placed in his common bile duct.
In his last few months, Payton become a strong advocate for organ transplantation and began several campaigns to raise awareness and encourage people to register as donors. While awaiting an organ at the Mayo Clinic, Walter was further diagnosed with a malignancy that is a known complication of his condition. After he passed away later that year, the issue of organ donation became a major headline nationwide, and there was a surge in the number of people trying to register as donors. A foundation created during his lifetime continues to fight for this cause today. What condition did he have and what was the malignancy he died from?
Answer (highlight to see):
Primary sclerosing cholangitis, complicated by cholangiocarcinoma.
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