'Thought I wasn't going to make it': SBW reveals brush with death after open-heart surgery

Former NRL star and All Blacks midfielder Sonny Bill Williams has revealed he thought he was going to die after emergency open-heart surgery. 

The 41-year-old posted a 24-minute video to his YouTube page last night that highlighted his ordeal to treat a heart condition he was born with, which was discovered during a routine follow-up appointment from neck surgery this year. 

The video, titled My Heart Stopped, had amassed more than 10,000 views in two hours of being published, and a social media post from Williams has received numerous messages of support, including All Blacks players Beauden Barrett, Ardie Savea and Rieko Ioane. 

One of the most shocking parts of the video comes during an interaction with his surgeon, Dr Michael O’Keefe, who told Williams that the condition had given him a “handicap” during his sporting career, which highlights how fit he must have been during his peak. 

Williams underwent surgery at Melbourne’s Austin Hospital. 

“The doctor said, ‘It’s a miracle that you found it because it’s a case where a perfectly fit-looking person could drop dead’,” Williams said. 

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Day two, I thought I wasn’t going to make it. It was crazy. 

“I’m so grateful. The doctor I seen this morning, he’s just told me that having this heart implication throughout my life would have implicated me and my sporting career. And upon reflecting, I feel like towards my late-20s, I definitely felt like I couldn’t get as fit as I used to ... 

”Because my heart was 7.5cms, it was about to pop as the doctors said. Alhamdulillah [Praise be to God]. 

“And now, the doctors said that I’ve got a better heart than when I walked in here because it’s more efficient now. The magnitude of the surgery, two open-heart surgeries in one, and it’s been so successful.” 

The video shows Williams before and after the surgery, and one part shows doctors taking his plaster off to reveal a massive scar down his chest. 

Williams also recorded a conversation with O’Keefe, whom he presented with a signed All Blacks jersey. 

O’Keefe explained that Williams had undergone a Ross procedure for his aortic valve. 

“It’s one of the only operations in cardiac surgery we do that puts you back on a normal life expectancy curve,” O’Keefe said. 

”It’s basically a donated human organ. 

“The pulmonary valve doesn’t have viable cells in it so there’s no rejection or anything like that. But it does cause a bit of an inflammatory response and that’s why you’re feeling like you’ve been whacked by a truck.” 

Williams said there were times during his career where he struggled with fitness and this diagnosis answers some questions he had from not reaching the levels he wanted to. 

Sonny Bill Williams shows off his scar after open-heart surgery. Photo / Sonny Bill Williams 

“I used to speak to my wife all the time, saying, ‘I’m training this hard, but I don’t feel like I’m as fit’, especially when it came to the boxing side of things,” Williams said. 

During his career, Williams won two NRL premierships with the Canterbury Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters, while also winning two Rugby World Cups with the All Blacks. 

Since retiring, Williams has been living in Sydney with his wife and their five children. 

Williams has dabbled inside the boxing ring, most recently fighting former Cronulla Sharks captain Paul Gallen which ended in a split-decision defeat, bringing his professional record to 9-2. 

Williams continues to work as a rugby union analyst for Stan Sport, and he has been named as the inaugural Pro-Chancellor of Albukhary International University. 

He also has a taco store, called Sonny’s Eats in Western Sydney. 

Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.