Sonny Bill Williams went in for a routine checkup and discovered a heart problem he had carried since birth

Sonny Bill Williams thought he was dealing with one recovery, then a routine checkup exposed something far more serious. The former rugby and rugby league star says doctors found a congenital heart defect he had lived with since birth, setting him on a path to open-heart surgery that may have saved his life.

A post-surgery check uncovered something much bigger

Williams revealed the diagnosis in a long YouTube video, explaining that the problem was discovered while he was recovering from neck surgery. Until that checkup, he said, he had no idea he had been carrying the condition since birth.

The finding was all the more striking because of how rarely it shows itself. The condition affects about 2 per cent of the population, but symptoms only appear in around 2 per cent of those who have it. In other words, many people can live with it and never know.

For Williams, the news reframed years of elite sport. Dr Michael O’Keefe later told him the defect would definitely have affected his career, adding that the level he reached said a lot about how fit he must have been to compensate for it. Looking back, Williams said he now sees signs that did not make sense to him at the time. In his late 20s, he felt he could not get as fit as he used to, a change he only properly understands now.

That hindsight came with a frightening realization. Williams said doctors told him it was remarkable the issue had been found when it was, because cases like his can involve someone who appears perfectly fit suddenly dying without warning. He said he was told his heart had reached 7.5cm, and he described the situation as dangerously close to a catastrophic outcome.

Why the operation was so complex

Williams underwent surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where O’Keefe performed a Ross procedure. In simple terms, that operation replaces a diseased aortic valve with the patient’s own healthy pulmonary valve.

O’Keefe described it as one of the few operations in cardiac surgery that can return a patient to a normal life expectancy. He contrasted that with mechanical or tissue valve replacements, saying those options can reduce life expectancy because of complications linked to the devices.

The procedure did not stop with moving one of Williams’ own valves. Doctors also had to replace the pulmonary valve with a donated human pulmonary valve. O’Keefe said supply is limited because that replacement is essentially donated human tissue. He also explained that it does not contain viable cells, so rejection is not the concern, but it can trigger inflammation that leaves patients feeling badly beaten up physically.

Williams said doctors told him he was effectively undergoing two open-heart surgeries in one. By the time it was over, he was able to record a video saying the operation had been successful. He also said he felt changed by the experience and would go through it again if it meant getting the same outcome.

The hardest part came after the operation

The relief of a successful surgery did not mean an easy recovery. Williams spent more than a week in hospital before going home, and he spoke openly about one stretch that left him unsure he would get through it.

He said the second night after surgery was especially brutal. Alone in hospital, he felt as though he might not make it. He described hallucinations, delirium, pain, an inability to sleep, and a disorienting mix of feeling cold while sweating at the same time.

According to Williams, that period dragged from midnight until 5am. The detail stuck with him because he kept looking at the clock while the hours passed. When he compared that night with how he felt seven days later, the contrast seemed to deepen his gratitude for having made it through.

Even after all that, Williams said he now has a more efficient heart than the one he had before the operation. For someone who built a career on physical performance, that is a remarkable twist: the hidden condition he never knew about may have been holding him back long before anyone realized it was there.

Why he decided to speak about it

Williams repeatedly thanked Allah after surgery, and faith was central to how he spoke about the whole experience. But alongside that gratitude, he also made clear that he wanted his story to do something practical.

His main aim now, he said, is to raise awareness. Because the condition can be so hard to spot, he believes there are many people living with it without knowing. His own case, discovered during an ordinary checkup while he was recovering from something else, is exactly the kind of story that can make people pay attention.

That may be the most striking part of all. A 41-year-old former champion, now also known for boxing, went from a routine medical appointment to major heart surgery, then came out the other side talking not just about survival, but about warning others who may look and feel fine while carrying a serious risk they have never been told about.