Greg Olsen has some unbelievable news about his son.
Just three weeks after receiving a heart transplant June 4 in Charlotte, TJ Olsen, 8-year-old son of former NFL tight end Greg Olsen, is in good health.
“He’s doing good,” Olsen told the Charlotte Observer. “He’s had an unbelievable recovery. He’s feeling good. He’s been home almost three weeks. He’s starting to get his strength back and to get a little more active. It’s been quite a journey.”
That it has.
Olsen, 36, and his wife, Kara, uncovered TJ had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a birth defect that limits blood flow to the heart, when the couple was expecting.
After three open-heart surgeries in the first three years of his life, TJ’s condition stabilized, but it got worse recently and a heart transplant became inevitable.
“From the day TJ was born, we’ve always been willing to share our struggles,” Olsen said. “I just think it’s important for people to not only hear from you when you’re on top of the world, right? The reality and humanity of it is that a lot of people do have tough times. And I think sometimes people think they are the only ones going through tough times.
“So to share TJ’s story, that has connected us with so many other stories of hope and heartache throughout the country. That’s why we do it, to show people: ‘Hey, you’re not alone out there. There are a lot of people that are struggling. There’s a lot of people that are having hard times. But you can get through it, and TJ is a great example of that.’”
Because of United Network of Organ Sharing policies, the Olsen’s do not know where the heart came from. But they are thankful, nonetheless.
“We don’t know where the heart came from. Not the gender, the age or the circumstances. And the donor family doesn’t know who received it,” Olsen said. “I’m sure at some point — especially if TJ wants to — we will write a letter to the agency.”
Olsen has been keeping busy since his retirement. Along with caring for his family and coaching his children’s sports teams, he co-hosted the first “Tight End University” in Nashville in late June, featuring 49 current NFL tight ends, including Travis Kelce and George Kittle. In his free time, he is getting ready to become a Fox Sports NFL broadcaster in September when the 2021-22 season begins.