Amid the pressure of competition, Tyler Reddick faced an even greater challenge off the track. His wife recently revealed that their newborn son, Rookie, was diagnosed with a chest tumor affecting his heart. Rookie, the second child of Tyler and Alexa Reddick, was born in May. Alexa shared her son’s difficult situation before Sunday’s race at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Reddick, who started from the pole position, needed a victory to stay in contention for the Cup title. However, Shane van Gisbergen took the victory, eliminating Reddick from the playoffs. Reddick finished in tenth position.
A tumor is ‘choking’ the renal vein and artery. It tells the heart ‘Hey, I’m not getting enough blood… pump harder’.
Alexa ReddickAlexa Reddick, through social media, reported that the tumor has caused an enlargement of her son’s heart. In addition, Rookie will need to have a kidney removed, as doctors determined that it no longer functions. “He will undergo open surgery to remove his right kidney. We are not sure when,” Alexa wrote. “Waiting is okay right now to give his heart a break while he is on blood pressure medication. They hope his heart will fully recover because it was just an innocent bystander. We have answers but a journey ahead to bring our little Cookie home.” Despite the difficult situation, Alexa added that her son is happy, enjoying his time playing with bubbles and “interacting with every nurse and doctor who enters his room”. Tyler Reddick had kept his son’s health situation private until his wife decided to make it public before last week’s race at Kansas Speedway. Reddick shared some updates on Rookie’s health status in Charlotte.Reddick, who reached the final of last year’s championship, entered Sunday’s race below the cut line for the drivers. The group was reduced from 12 to eight after the race. The last four, Reddick, his 23XI Racing teammate, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric, were eliminated. “For me, this weekend, where we’re at, is what it is,” Reddick said. “I’m going to go out and give my best while I’m here, certainly. For me, this week, the elimination, everything that’s going on in the racing world is taking a back seat, as it should.” Denny Hamlin, co-owner of Reddick’s car, stated that 23XI Racing has provided support and has been involved to ensure that Rookie receives the best possible care.Healthier probably isn’t the right word, but I’ve never seen him happier. His color looks good. He’s gained weight. A lot of things are going well,” Reddick said. “That said, some of the toughest moments are definitely yet to come. We’re definitely not out of the woods. There are a few things we have to get through first.
Tyler ReddickReddick, for his part, expressed his gratitude for the support received and reflected on the emotional impact this has had on his family. “Countless people have helped,” Reddick said. “Countless people have reached out, provided support, whatever. It’s been really revealing. I agree with my wife, this is the hardest thing I’ve had to go through.We’ve tried to do everything we can as a company to leverage every possible resource, to get second, third opinions, everything, put it in contact with specialists,” Hamlin said. “We feel, not a relief, but it’s a small relief that they now understand which way to go, instead of not knowing.
Denny Hamlin
