Payton Needs Liver Transplant
NFL great Walter Payton is being treated for a rare liver disease and will need a transplant.
The former Chicago Bears star was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a disease in which the bile ducts of the liver are blocked.
"Right now I'm still healthy, even though I look like I've lost weight," Payton said at a news conference Tuesday.
The 44-year-old Hall of Famer said he called the news conference because of speculation about his obvious weight loss. He appeared gaunt at his son Jarrett's news conference last week to announce he would play football for the University of Miami.
Payton is being placed on a list to receive a transplant, Lagattuta said. The one-year survival rate with a transplant is 88 percent, and the long-term survival rate is "very promising." He said most people can return to a normal, active life if they receive a transplant.
Payton said the disease has brought him closer to his spiritual side and he broke down into tears as he asked fans to pray for him.
"To the people that really care about me, just continue praying," he said.
The cause of primary sclerosing cholangitis is not known. However, it is not related to alcohol, steroids, hepatitis or any kind of immunodeficiency disease, Lagattuta said.
Synptoms pf PSC are fatigue, followed by yellow in the pigment of the eyes and skin, he said.
Lagatutta said the disease is rare, affecting about three in 100,000 people, and is difficult to diagnose. He initially thought Payton might have a gall bladder problem when he told him in October that he had been feeling ill for a couple of months. The diagnosis was confirmed within the last two weeks.
Payton, nicknamed "Sweetness" during his playing days, is the NFL's all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards. He was named to the Pro Bowl nine times in his 13-year career and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. Payton was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994.
He set numerous school and NCAA records at Jackson State and was the Bears' first-round draft pick in 1975. He led the Bears to their only Super Bowl appearance and victory following the 1985 season, and retired two years later.Payton was named to the Bears' board of directors in 1997.
After football, Payton has dabbled in numerous business ventures and auto racing. He is owner of Walter Payton Roundhouse Complex in Aurora, west of Chicago, which includes a pub and his own hall of fame museum. He is a minority owner of a power equipment firm and an Indy Cart-team -- Payton-Coyne Racing -- and also is a founding director of First Northwestern Bank in Arlington Heights.
The father of a teen-age son and daughter, Payton is a cooking and movie buff and owns an extensive film library. He lives in South Barrington, a wealthy suburb northwest of Chicago.
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