There are moments when David Pollack has had to put his phone down and simply wait. Last year, that meant sitting with his wife, Lindsey, through a brain cancer diagnosis and a surgery that lasted more than six hours. It meant watching her deal with weakness on her left side after the procedure and helping her work her way back to walking.

Pollack could talk about faith, ask people to pray, and remind Lindsey that they would get through it together. But when she went into the operating room, there was little else he could do. More than a year later, Pollack found himself asking for those prayers again.

“To me, there is nothing better you can give someone than your prayers,” Pollack said through social media. “Thank you all so much for your prayers. They are felt. Out of surgery and doing great. Step 1 (complete).”

Lindsey underwent her third surgery during her ongoing cancer battle. This time, Pollack did not try to dress up the uncertainty. He told people he was scared, while also making clear that his wife had met the setback with the same resolve she had shown throughout the ordeal.

The former Georgia linebacker had already learned how quickly a good report can change the mood inside a family dealing with cancer. Lindsey began experiencing sudden neurological problems, which led doctors to find a tumor in her brain.

She was diagnosed with stage IV glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Her first surgery took place at Duke University in March 2025. After the surgery, Lindsey had a difficult recovery.

She dealt with extreme fatigue, low blood pressure, and partial paralysis on the left side of her body. She spent months in rehabilitation and had to learn how to walk again. Gradually, she recovered.

Pollack finally announced she was cancer-free in March this year. The moment offered the family a reason to believe the hardest part was behind them.  He also credited their faith for helping them through the previous year. That picture changed in September.

After a doctor’s appointment on Sept. 15, Pollack said the family had not received the news they wanted. He announced that Lindsey was facing surgery No. 3 and described her response to the setback as one of the things that had affected him most.

“No blink! No doubt! No fear! Just Jesus!” Pollack wrote at the time. “She looked at me and said God has been building me for this, And thank goodness it’s on a bye week so Nicholas doesn’t have game.”

For Pollack, faith has been present from the beginning. When he first revealed Lindsey’s diagnosis, he asked people to pray for her before the surgery at Duke. Friends from the sports world, including Pat McAfee and other former colleagues, responded publicly with support.

Pollack knows what it feels like when life changes in the space of one medical decision. His own football career ended after a neck injury with the Cincinnati Bengals, just months after he had entered the NFL following a decorated career at Georgia.

David Pollack leaned on faith and his own personal journey to battle the family adversity

Pollack’s football career ended in one play when he was 23. He fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, ending his dream of playing in the NFL. So, he had already learned how to deal with losing a career overnight.

Instead of staying stuck on what could have been, Pollack chose to look ahead. He would need that same mindset again when his wife faced another life-changing setback. That’s where he also learned to lean on faith.

“I am trying to live my life to earn the respect of people and in such a way that honors and glorifies God,” Pollack said about surviving his neck injury. “God’s Word began to jump off the pages. It completely changed my life. I was saved and began my Christian journey.”

Pollack now speaks publicly about what their family has gone through while using the experience to raise awareness about cancer and early detection. He also partnered with Aflac as a Check for Cancer champion, encouraging families to pay attention to small changes, get checked early, and make more time for the things that matter.