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Pro Football Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin revealed that his wife, Sandy, is battling early-onset Alzheimer's disease to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Tuesday (June 18).
Sandy, 58, has been diagnosed with the disease for five to six years and is described as having "trouble" walking. Irvin said his wife has a live-in caretaker to give her around-the-clock attention, however, said he doesn't plan to put her in a nursing home, but asked for prayers for his family.
“If anyone has earned the right to stay in her house, MY WIFE HAS!!!” Irvin said in a text to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram regarding his wife's diagnosis. “That I shall honor. No matter what it takes.”
The Irvins have been together for 39 years, having initially met when they attended the University of Miami (Fla.) and have been married for 34 years. Michael Irvin spent his entire Hall of Fame career with the Cowboys, recording 750 receptions for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns.
The legendary wide receiver initially revealed his wife's condition while discussing the opening of his new restaurant, Playmakers88, in Texas, whose chef had previously worked for another restaurant.
"When I’m working and she is a very finicky eater,” Irvin, who appears on FS1’s “Undisputed,” Irvin told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “And I’m on the road, she would always call me and say baby, ‘I’m hungry.’ I’m literally on the show. In the breaks, I would call and say ‘My wife just called, get her some chicken to the house.’
“She would only eat the wings from here. No other wings.”