Sonny Bill Williams reveals he underwent emergency open-heart surgery

Retired rugby and league champion Sonny Bill Williams has shared that he recently underwent successful open-heart surgery. The 41-year-old revealed the news in a 24-minute YouTube video titled ‘My Heart Stopped’. Williams stated that a serious heart defect he was born with was discovered during a routine follow-up appointment for neck surgery.

The surgery involved a Ross procedure for his aortic valve, which replaces the aortic valve with his own pulmonary valve. Dr Michael O’Keefe explained that this procedure is one of the few in cardiac surgery that returns a patient to a normal life expectancy curve. Williams noted that the magnitude of the operation involved two open-heart surgeries in one.

Williams reflected on how the condition may have impacted his professional sporting career, noting that he felt he could not get as fit as he used to in his late 20s. His surgeon told him that his high level of performance showed how fit he must have been to compensate for the defect, which acted as a handicap.

The surgery was performed at a hospital in Melbourne. Williams described the recovery as difficult, stating, “Day two, honestly, I thought I wasn’t going to make it”. He has since been discharged and expressed a mission to raise awareness regarding the importance of heart checks.

Where reports differ

• One report states the surgery took place at Royal Melbourne Hospital, while another states it was at Austin Hospital

Compiled from reports by Stuff, NZ Herald, 1News, RNZ and Otago Daily Times.