Greg Olsen Says Son TJ Has 'Had an Unbelievable Recovery' After Heart Transplant

Longtime Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said his son TJ has continued to make progress in his recovery from surgery to undergo a heart transplant June 4.

"He's doing good. He's had an unbelievable recovery. He's feeling good," Olsen told Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer on Monday. "He's been home almost three weeks. He's starting to get his strength back and to get a little more active. It's been quite a journey."

Olsen, who also played for the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks during a 14-year career before his retirement in January, has provided consistent updates about TJ throughout the process. That included a message from his 8-year-old son a few days after the procedure:

ESPN's David Newton noted TJ was born with a congenital heart defect that required four surgical procedures, including three open-heart surgeries, before a heart donor was found.

Olsen explained to Fowler he decided with his wife, Kara, to share details about TJ's journey to help other families who may be going through difficult times:

"From the day TJ was born, we've always been willing to share our struggles. I just think it's important for people to not only hear from you when you're on top of the world, right? The reality and humanity of it is that a lot of people do have tough times. And I think sometimes people think they are the only ones going through tough times.

"So to share TJ's story, that has connected us with so many other stories of hope and heartache throughout the country. That's why we do it, to show people: 'Hey, you're not alone out there. There are a lot of people that are struggling. There's a lot of people that are having hard times. But you can get through it, and TJ is a great example of that.'"

In 2013, the Olsen family teamed up with Levine Children's Hospital and the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute in North Carolina to create The HEARTest Yard, a charitable effort to "support families of children with congenital heart disease."

Olsen told Fowler the family doesn't know any information about the heart donor, and they'll let TJ decide if and when he'd like to reach out to the donor's family through the United Network of Organ Sharing with a thank-you message.