Kelly Stafford is gradually finding her way back to normal life after receiving a life-altering diagnosis earlier this year.

Kelly, wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, was diagnosed with acoustic neuroma, a slow-growing tumor affecting the main nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain.

Stafford underwent a procedure that stretched from six hours to 12 hours. For the first time, she shared her story about the diagnosis, surgery, and recovery during an interview with Local 4.

She explained that everything began when she started feeling dizzy and lightheaded during daily activities.

“You know how they tell you to stand up slowly because you might feel dizzy? I’ve had that before,” Stafford said. “But this was completely different. When I got up, the whole room started spinning. I held onto the bed, sat back down, and asked someone to bring me water. I stood again, and it happened all over.”

After multiple dizzy spells, Stafford decided to get medical help. Initially, an ER doctor treated her for vertigo, but the symptoms didn’t fade.

While in California, the Staffords agreed she should get an MRI to see what was wrong.

“I remember Matthew got a phone call while I was sitting with our three girls,” Kelly recalled. “He talked for about five minutes. When he hung up, I asked, ‘Who was that?’ He said, ‘Asheesh.’ Then he told me, ‘Don’t worry, but they found something in your MRI. We just need to get it checked out.’ I didn’t think much of it—until I learned we were seeing a neurosurgeon at UCLA. That’s when it hit me that this was serious.”

“When we met the doctor, she showed us my MRI and said, ‘Here’s your brain tumor.’ I didn’t even have time to process it in that moment. She suggested follow-ups in a couple of weeks or seeing other doctors, but we couldn’t wait that long. She just told us I had a brain tumor, and we were supposed to wait?” Kelly said.

“I remember sitting in the waiting room afterward, just breaking down. I thought about our girls and all the unknowns. But then I looked around that waiting room,” she said tearfully. “There were others going through the same thing. One woman had a fresh scar on her head. I reminded myself I wasn’t alone. That gave me strength.”

The couple decided to return to Michigan for surgery at the University of Michigan Hospital with Dr. Byron Gregory Thompson, Jr.

“He talked about things the other doctors didn’t even mention,” Kelly said. “When we met him, he told me he’d try to save my hearing, but more importantly, he wanted to protect my facial nerve. That meant a lot to me.”

“Yeah, he was amazing through the entire process,” Matthew added. “I waited with a beeper that gave me updates. The surgery went longer than planned. They kept saying things like, ‘Hit a small hurdle, expect two more hours,’ or ‘Everything’s on track.’ It was stressful, but he did an incredible job.”

“When they opened me up, they found an unusual vein—something that could’ve caused issues for other surgeons, but not for ours,” Kelly shared later. “He had seen it before and even written about it. That was truly God’s hand at work.”

After a week, Kelly was able to go home from the hospital.

“The hardest part was returning to such a quiet house,” she said. “I knew rest was what I needed, but I wanted to see my kids. I had to relearn how to move, and I couldn’t do much for them. Every day, Matthew helped me out of bed and to the sink to brush my teeth.”

“I’m usually energetic and loud with my kids, but I didn’t have that energy. They noticed right away. I met them at a small playground because I couldn’t bear being stuck in the house.”

Kelly said she couldn’t have gotten through it without her support system.

“I couldn’t have done it without Matthew and everyone close to us. Our parents, siblings, my mom, and our nanny were all incredible. I think about people who go through this without help—they’re absolute heroes because I don’t know how I would have managed without that support.”

Matthew said he just tried to be as supportive as he could.

“It was really hard,” he admitted. “I’m not naturally the most empathetic person, but when someone tells you your wife has a brain tumor, there’s no guidebook for that. I just tried to be there for her. They told me things might get worse before getting better, and that first night was tough. She went from functioning to rock bottom, but now, seeing her, I’m amazed.”

He added that her mother was a huge help, allowing him to return to football sooner than expected.

“The Lions were incredible, too,” he said. “They never pressured me to return. I came back the second week just to be around the team, then went home to help out. Those first ten days were exhausting—we needed everyone to help her move.”

“I feel amazing now,” Kelly said. “They told me it might take a year to get my full energy back since my brain tires easily, but I push myself every day. I can do that because I have such great support around me.”