Teen's Heart Defect Forces Him to Quit Football. After Surgery, He Returns to Field — and Meets Hero Jason Kelce (Exclusive)

Spencer Gilliam plays center for his team and wears No. 62, just like Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce

Meeting Jason Kelce is a dream for many fans — but for Spencer Gilliam, it’s a reality he almost didn’t see coming.

The 17-year-old athlete, who is originally from Texas, recently traveled to Orlando, Florida to attend the Pro Bowl. Spencer, who plays center on his high school football team and wears the number 62 jersey, was hoping to meet one of his heroes: Philadelphia Eagles center Kelce, who also wears the number 62.

For Spencer, doing things like making the Pro Bowl is extra special.

“When I was 15 weeks pregnant, my doctor discovered a tumor the size of a quarter of his heart in the left ventricle,” Spencer’s mom, Thea Gilliam, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

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Spencer Gilliam.

Thea Gilliam

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“A neonatal cardiologist told us that when these tumors are present, the child has a 50 percent chance of having a disease called tuberous sclerosis. This means they could be born with tumors all over their major organs, including the brain, which could lead to serious mental and physical defects.”

When he was born a few months later, Spencer was taken to a neighboring children’s hospital. Although the doctors discovered that she had no other tumors, they discovered that she had a leaky, hardened heart valve. His tumor was removed when he was 2 months old, and doctors told his parents that he would have to have his heart valve replaced when it got worse.

Despite a rough start, Spencer’s health was stable over the next few years. While his heart was being monitored, he was able to participate in team sports — and for him, football was everything.

“I started playing in the fourth grade because my parents divorced when I was 7 and we bounced around schools,” he tells PEOPLE. “I thought we finally found a school to stick with. So I started playing football.”

Spencer Gilliam with friends.

Thea Gilliam

Spencer was able to play until his sixth grade, when his heart condition began to deteriorate.

“It was bad when I started sixth grade that they finally made me quit,” he remembers. “I was very sad and depressed about it, so my mom then started taking me to Cowboys games, Cowboys meet and greets, making sure I was happy.”

Then, says Thea, the doctors informed Spencer and his parents that he would no longer be able to play sports. In addition, in January 2021, doctors scheduled Spencer’s heart valve replacement.

“My heart broke,” Spencer remembers being told he couldn’t play football anymore. “I thought I would never be able to play again, and football was my dream.”

According to his mother, due to the severity and old scar tissue, doctors had to open him up again and break his sternum to perform the surgery. “The poor guy couldn’t have visitors except his parents because of COVID. [It was a] The operation lasted 9 hours and the next day he managed to get off the drug,” she tells PEOPLE.

Spencer Gilliam.

Thea Gilliam

After 45 days, the doctors had incredible news for the athlete: they allow him to return to sports, first baseball and later football.

– I still play today – he says proudly. “I play center and I’m #62, and we play about 10 games a season. I’m actually working on getting recruited to play college ball right now.”

Spencer sees his cardiologist every year just before summer practice to monitor valve integrity. But otherwise, he spends his summers attending college football camps in an attempt to get recruited, and during his junior year he received unofficial calls.

In addition to his job at Whataburger, the teenager makes money on TikTok by recording and posting videos about everything related to football. “He makes enough to pay for all his NFL games (even tickets for his closest teammates) and even trips to the Pro Bowl and training camps,” says his mom.

This year, Spencer attended the Pro Bowl in Florida and wanted to meet one of his biggest heroes: Kelce.

Spencer Gilliam.

Thea Gilliam

“It was so amazing,” he says of meeting the Philadelphia Eagles center. “I’m not going to lie, he’s probably the happiest he’s ever been when I got my jersey signed by him.”

“I only had a few moments to talk to him, but I told him I’m a center, number 62, and he’s just the nicest guy ever. He asked me if I had any questions for him, and I told him I’d ask him when I got there in the league and reached his position.”

While he couldn’t share his full story with Kelce, Spencer says “I would if I could, because he’s everything I want to be.”

Currently, Spencer lives with a pig valve that his mom says will need to be replaced in 10-15 years. “Hopefully longer,” says Thea. “But we live in the moment and [in] right now he’s chasing his dreams.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education