American football team quarterback Alex Smith and his family have been through many difficulties since his injury that almost ended his career. In 2019, Smith revealed that he had 17 operations on the broken leg he suffered while playing in 2018.
Smith was told that his career could be over, there was a chance he would lose his leg and at one point infections were almost fatal.
With the help of his doctors, his family, his teammates and his own perseverance, Smith was not only able to walk again, but also to play in the NFL, something that many thought was impossible.
To celebrate the arduous journey, his leg brace was transformed into a trophy.
His wife, Liz Smith, who has been talking about her recovery on social media, shared a photo of the device on Instagram with a message to Alex.
She wrote:
“Waiting for this game and I’m a nervous wreck. I look at our bookshelves as a reminder of where we have been and the hard work to get to this moment. No matter what the outcome, Alex has already won. He won the biggest challenge that life has thrown on our way. I’m incredibly proud and I’m going to applaud loudly. Let’s go to Washington! Special thanks to @coldhardart for turning a symbol of hard times into a trophy of triumph that we can proudly place on our shelves. “
Here’s a look at the trophy, which resembles the Lombardi Trophy:
Many were shocked at how quickly Smith was able to return to football, attending training and doing repetitions. What was even more shocking to many was when he was back taking pictures at NFL games.
Through the ups and downs of the Washington Football Team quarterback situation, with the drama off the field revolving around Dwayne Haskins and his eventual release from the team, Smith found himself in a position to lead his team to the NFC East championship.
Although the division was less than impressive this regular season, Smith gathering to help his team get a ticket to the playoffs is something that many NFL fans outside Washington found themselves cheering and celebrating.
Smith is expected to be named Comeback Player of the Year.