CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Browns star quarterback Bernie Kosa has been diagnosed with cirrhosis and Parkinson’s disease, according to a news release. Cleveland Magazine.
The 60-year-old former player was listed for a liver transplant, but University Hospitals hepatologist Anthony Post told the magazine that Kosar had been improving since the beginning of the year. At the same time, he warned that his liver condition could fluctuate.
Dr. Michael Roizen, Cleveland Clinic’s chief wellness officer, told the magazine that there’s a greater than 90 percent chance that Kosar will need a new liver.
Cosa said in February that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by the NFL’s independent physician.
The Youngstown, Ohio native recalls years of suffering from liver problems that he ignored because he wasn’t sure what was causing them. The diagnosis of cirrhosis about 16 months ago confirmed the uniqueness and severity of his condition.
“My body held on,” Cossa told the magazine, recalling an episode from when she attended the Browns’ home game against the New York Jets last December. “I didn’t think I’d be able to come home from the Jets game. But I held on, and I avoided doctors until the new year.
“Then I went to the hospital and had a massive blood transfusion. It was like, ‘How are you going to live? How are you going to move? Your hemoglobin level is too low.'”
Cosa became ill again while attending the Super Bowl in Las Vegas and was hospitalized for several days.
