Calvin Anderson’s mystery illness unravelled: Patriots star narrates battle to fight back from 50/50 chance of survival

Calvin Anderson overcame a life-threatening illness to return to football for the New England Patriots and head coach Jerod Mayo. Anderson, an offensive tackle, was given a 50 percent chance of survival after contracting malaria in Africa last year.

Anderson told the Boston Globe that he and his wife had traveled to Nigeria to do some charity work. When they returned to the States, he suffered a 104.5-degree fever. Despite his reluctance, his wife took him to the hospital.

The offensive tackle says that when he got to the hospital, his body wasn't functioning properly and he almost passed out. After the doctors ran tests, it was revealed that he contracted malaria from a mosquito bite.

The doctors told Anderson's wife that had she brought him just a few hours later, he likely would have died.

“If left to my own devices, I might have decided to not prioritize my health in that moment,” Anderson told the outlet. “As football players, a lot of times we end up prioritizing a lot of things ahead of our health so we can continue to play.

"But this was a case when I had someone in my corner who made a judgment call and had to veto me a little bit there. It ended up saving my life."

After contracting the disease, Anderson was placed on the non-football injury (NFI) list during the beginning of the 2023 NFL football season but was activated and ended up playing five games last season for the Patriots after he signed a two-year deal with the team in March of 2023.

Calvin Anderson suffered another scary injury during the 2023 season

Calvin Anderson had to deal with plenty of adversity during the 2023 season. After coming back from malaria and playing in five games, during practice, he was hit by a defensive teammate, which resulted in chest pain.

“I sat down, and my heartbeat wouldn’t stop," Anderson said. "It just kept going … boom-boom-boom-boom-boom. I’m sitting there, at rest, and my heartbeat is just going.

"He said that doctors eventually determined that he had heart contusion — when the heart muscle is bruised — from a hit."

Anderson was placed on injured reserve and his season was over. Despite all those struggles, the offensive tackle will now return to football in 2024, as he will be playing for the New England Patriots who have a new head coach in Jerod Mayo.