Torrey Smith blogs about baby's health concerns

Former Baltimore Raven Torrey Smith opened up about potential health problems his unborn son may have in a blog post Monday.

The wide receiver, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers but still lives in Baltimore, said doctors told him and his wife during an ultrasound appointment that the baby had a 1 in 10 chance of having Trisomy 18.

Like Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18 is also caused by an extra chromosome, but the condition comes with more potentially life-threatening complications, according to the Trisomy 18 Foundation. Studies have shown that only 50 percent of babies who are carried to term will be born alive.

"What do you do? Do you go forward knowing the outcome will be a miscarriage or death shortly after birth all while putting your life in danger? Or do you terminate the pregnancy?” Smith wrote. “Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about abortions. I think that it should only happen in extreme situations...not because a couple was negligent in practicing safe sex.”

“Being in this situation has changed the way I view everything about it,” Smith said in the post. 

Smith said he and his wife later found out the baby does not have Trisomy 18, but he’s not in the clear quite yet.

“We have been talking about what else it could be and have been preparing for whatever results lie ahead. I’m not worried about it a single bit!” Smith said. “I always believed that it takes special parents to provide and show love to a kid with special needs. I’ve been around kids with “disabilities” my whole life and understand how special they really are.”

Throughout the post, Smith also sings his wife's praises and expresses admiration of her strength throughout the process.

Smith had dozens of comments of support from fans on his official Facebook page as as well as more than 100 comments on his blog of Monday afternoon.

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