"It’s The Cliche Thing To Say": Ryan Clark Opens Up About Support And The Person Who Stood By Him
Ryan Clark looks back on his frightening health crisis and reveals why he credits his wife, Yonka Clark, for standing beside him when he needed her most.
Ryan Clark's NFL career had already taken him from an undrafted player to a Super Bowl champion when a serious health scare changed his life. In 2007, the Pittsburgh Steelers safety became dangerously ill after playing in Denver. His sickle cell trait, combined with the high altitude, caused a major problem with his spleen. He needed surgery and could no longer play in Denver. Years later, Clark spoke about that period and gave much of the credit to his wife, Yonka Clark. Her support was not only during the hospital stay. She stayed close through the long and painful recovery.
Ryan Clark Reveals How Yonka Clark Became The Person Who Stood By Him During His Hardest Health Crisis
Clark recently looked back at that difficult time while speaking on Daniel Cormier's podcast. He said Yonka stayed beside him when he was struggling to understand how serious his condition had become.
“She stood by me. She fought for me when I was sort of just not complacent but trying to be compliant and listen to what people were telling me. And so without her, man, like literally I would not be alive,” Clark said.
His condition became especially difficult after surgery. Clark recalled having a fever above 103 degrees almost every night for about a month. Yonka helped him through those nights, changed his clothes and stayed close while he recovered.
“And, you know, it's the cliché thing to say about someone who's cared for you that you owe them your life. But in this sense, man, I truly do,” he added.
Clark had known that he carried the sickle cell trait. But during a Steelers game in Denver in 2007, the condition became a major problem. He suffered severe pain in his left side and was taken to a hospital.
Doctors found a serious spleen complication linked to his sickle cell trait and the high altitude. Clark eventually had his spleen and gallbladder removed. He was also barred from playing future games in Denver.
Ryan Clark And Yonka Clark Had A Rocky First Meeting Before Building A Marriage That Lasted Through His NFL And ESPN Years
The support Clark remembers today came from a relationship that did not begin smoothly. Ryan and Yonka first met at a family event and did not have a good opinion of each other.
Yonka later said she thought Clark was an arrogant football player. Clark, in turn, believed she was one of the snootiest girls he had met.
Their story changed when they reconnected at Louisiana State University. The two eventually fell in love and married in July 2004, shortly after Clark began finding his place in the NFL.
They went on to build a family with three children, Jaden, Loghan and Jordan.
Yonka has largely stayed away from the spotlight and has also spoken about wanting an identity beyond being known only as an NFL wife.
For Clark, though, her role in his life goes far beyond that label. When his health was in danger, she was the person beside him.
That experience also shaped his work away from football. In 2012, Clark founded Ryan Clark's Cure League to support sickle cell awareness, patient care and medical research.
His career later moved from the NFL to broadcasting, but the memory of the person who stood beside him during his darkest days has remained part of his story.