Jackson State football coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders recently had surgery on his injured foot which resulted in the amputation of two toes on his left foot.
The procedure is discussed in an episode of the SMAC Entertainment and Barstool Sports series, “Coach Prime”, which detailed his three-week stay in a Mississippi hospital.
Sanders, 54, had his big toe and the second toe on his foot amputated and he lost 35 pounds during his stay.
Sanders was diagnosed with three femoral arterial blood clots, which doctors categorized as life-threatening and left the coach wheelchair bound for the latter part of Jackson State’s season.
The blood clots started at his calf and ran the entire length of his leg and he developed compartment syndrome, which involves muscle pressure reaching levels that can limit the flow of blood and oxygen.
Doctors gave Sanders grim news about the surgery, which in turn led to him calling his mother, who told him there were family members, including herself, who have been diagnosed or have died from blood clots.
Sanders initially had surgery in September for a dislocated toe and an inflamed nerve, but he returned to the sidelines with crutches and sometimes used a golf cart and a push scooter to move around.
“They were first talking about the amputation of toes, then the amputation of my leg from knee down, and then they were trying to ensure that I had life,” Sanders said.
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Sanders said the hardest part was having people help him with everyday life.
“It’s been a long journey. I am on the road back,” he said. “But I am here and I am thankful.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Deion Sanders has two toes amputated after surgery on his left foot