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http://www.nola.com/pelicans/index.ssf/2016/09/jrue_holiday_asks_for_prayers.htmlFew things in life are scarier than learning you have a brain tumor. When the news comes only months before the birth of your first child, well, it can be almost incomprehensible, especially for a world-class athlete.
This was the situation that confronted Lauren and Jrue Holiday in late June, when New Orleans doctors discovered a tumor on the right side of Lauren's brain.
The diagnosis was a gut punch for a young couple not accustomed to health problems.
Lauren Holiday, 28, a two-time Olympic gold medalist for the U.S. women's national soccer team, retired last year in the prime of her career, in large part, to start a family with her husband Jrue, the starting point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans. The family plans did not include brain surgery.
"Devastating," Jrue Holiday said of the diagnosis.
The good news was the tumor was operable and not a threat to the Holidays' unborn daughter. After successful surgery, doctors were confident Lauren would return to full health.
The brain surgery, however, would need to wait until after Lauren gave birth, pushing the procedure and her recovery well into the NBA regular season. Consequently, Holiday, finally healthy after an injury-riddled three-year tenure with the Pelicans, is expected to miss an indefinite period of time during the regular season while serving as a caretaker for his wife and newborn.
"My family comes before basketball," said Holiday, 26. "I'm obviously blessed to play this game and be in the position I am in, but my wife is the most important thing in the world to me. She comes before anything else."