For nearly two decades, NFL legend Dan Marino has been faced with a scary medical situation.
Marino revealed to Cara Lynn Shultz of People that he was diagnosed with liver disease in 2007.
Marino’s revelation of his diagnosis and how he turned his health around is part of Novo Nordisk’s Unordinary Stories campaign, in which athletes discuss their health journeys.
Marino explained that he didn’t experience any glaring symptoms, but he went for a routine checkup because he was feeling “a little fatigued.” The 63-year-old admitted that he struggled to maintain his fitness in his post-playing career.
“I wasn’t really working out as much as I should — because I used to work out when I played all the time and I kind of got away from that a little bit,” Marino said. “Those are the things I kind of noticed. Then they told me I had a fatty liver. I had MASH.”
Marino was referring to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, which formerly was known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the disease occurs when excess fat cells accumulate in the liver, causing chronic inflammation that can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer said he was told that his main course of action following his diagnosis was to return to a healthy fitness level.
“The doctors right away said that can be reversible, it can be taken care of, but, mainly for me, they were saying, like, ‘You gotta work out. You got to lose weight,'” Marino said.
Marino credited his former teammate Terry Kirby, who trains him, and his wife, Claire, for helping to keep him on track. His commitment to a healthy diet and a workout routine has been the key to returning to full strength. Today, he said his disease “hasn’t changed … I get the ultrasounds and all that every year and so far it’s been fine,” and he believes his prognosis is “gonna get better and better and better.”
