NFL sideline reporter Jen Hale bravely opens up on her heart diagnosis that killed her father and uncle

NFL sideline reporter Jen Hale bravely opens up on her heart diagnosis that killed her father and uncle

Fox Sports sideline reporter Jen Hale has opened up about her heart condition that nearly killed her several years ago and was a ‘death sentence’ for her father and uncle. 

Hale spoke about being diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy, which is a condition that stretches the heart beyond its normal configuration. 

Today, Hale is in great health. However, several years ago, while working on NFL sidelines, Hale’s heart health dipped below 20 percent. 

Hale said if she had caught it sooner, she would have had around a six-month recovery as opposed to two-and-a-half years. She is 8 years post-diagnosis during Super Bowl week.  

‘It essentially means my heart stretched out. It got big and floppy. If you think about the heart like a rubber band, pumping blood, it was so big and floppy it couldn’t pump the blood to my body,’ Hale said of her condition on Fox News. 

‘It was genetic but I didn’t know my family history. I knew there were heart attacks on the male side of my family. But I always chalked that up to being male, lifestyle, clogged arteries. I don’t eat meat, I exercise every day, I was in my 30s and female. It couldn’t be me, right?’

Fox Sports' Jen Hale has opened up about her heart condition, Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Fox Sports’ Jen Hale has opened up about her heart condition, Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Hale said the condition that killed her father and uncle nearly took her life several years ago too

Hale said the condition that killed her father and uncle nearly took her life several years ago too

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jen Hale (@jenhale504)

‘I excused and ignored the symptoms for way too long, even though I was feeling exhausted, I was constantly out of breath. It wasn’t until my ankles started swelling so big I couldn’t put shoes on except for flip flops I went to a third doctor and said something was really wrong.’

Read More Travis Kelce reveals ‘hardest part’ of college drugs scandal that threatened his NFL dream article image

‘I should have caught it before then if I knew the risk factors and my family history. When I was diagnosed, I was told my heart was down to 16 percent function.’ 

‘I was told I had a third chance I’d have five years to live, a third chance I’d need a heart transplant, and a third chance medicine would work for me. Thank god the medicine worked for me.’

Nowadays, Hale only takes a few pills during the day to treat her condition. Hale also credited the advancements in medicine for saving her life, unlike her father and uncle 20 years ago.   

Hale had plenty of ᴀssignments with Fox, constantly being paired with Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth for games. 

Hale is in New Orleans for the Super Bowl and was one of the hosts for Monday’s opening night at the Caesars Superdome. 

Related Posts

BREAKING NEWSCollege soccer star and son of former NFL player Milton Stegall dies in dorm room

BREAKING NEWSCollege soccer star and son of former NFL player Milton Stegall dies in dorm room

Chase Stegall, the son of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Milton Stegall, has died suddenly at the age of 20.  Chase, a rising collegiate soccer star at…

Vikings have major concerns about QB JJ McCarthy after pᴀssing on free-agent Aaron Rodgers, insider says

Vikings have major concerns about QB JJ McCarthy after pᴀssing on free-agent Aaron Rodgers, insider says

The Minnesota Vikings declined to bring in veteran free-agent Aaron Rodgers. Now, according to one league insider, the team is still unconvinced starting quarterback JJ McCarthy is…

Patriots’ decision on Stefon Diggs revealed after viral video of NFL star handling bag of unknown substance

Patriots’ decision on Stefon Diggs revealed after viral video of NFL star handling bag of unknown substance

The New England Patriots reportedly have no plans to cut Stefon Diggs in the wake of a viral video which showed the wide receiver handling a bag containing…

Giants left with one more rookie to sign after Darius Alexander inks deal

Giants left with one more rookie to sign after Darius Alexander inks deal

And then there was one.  Third-round pick Darius Alexander became the sixth member of the Giants’ seven-man draft class to sign his rookie contract Monday, leaving only…

BREAKING NEWSTravis Kelce’s managers make career-defining move for the Chiefs star’s life after football

BREAKING NEWSTravis Kelce’s managers make career-defining move for the Chiefs star’s life after football

Travis Kelce’s managers, brothers Andre and Aaron Eanes, have sold their A&A Management organization to film and television company 3 Arts Entertainment. The Eanes brothers announced the…

The very early reviews on Aaron Glenn’s Jets culture overhaul

The very early reviews on Aaron Glenn’s Jets culture overhaul

Every new head coach, upon being hired, is quick to invoke the C-word: Culture. More often than not, when a new coach is hired it’s because the…