AFL great Jonathan Brown has revealed the emotional moment he believed his late mother gave him a sign he would survive a frightening brain tumour diagnosis after doctors discovered what he described as a 'ticking time bomb' inside his head.
The former Brisbane Lions captain, 44, underwent surgery in March after a routine scan uncovered a low-grade brain tumour, shocking the footy world and forcing the tough former full-forward into the fight of his life.
Brown has since detailed the deeply personal experience during an emotional interview with close friend Garry Lyon, explaining how thoughts of his late mother Mary helped him remain positive in the terrifying days after the diagnosis.
'Seven weeks ago I was training the house down. Fit as a fiddle and I was shooting the lights out on the golf course. A day later your life changes,' Brown said.
'I didn't know. But I was walking around with a ticking time bomb in my head.'
Brown said his mother, who died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage three years ago aged 62, remained a strong presence in his life.
The Lions legend explained he often speaks to her during walks along the beach on the Gold Coast, where he now lives with wife Kylie and their three children.
'I am not a spiritual person but I try to connect to Mum,' Brown told News Corp.
'She used to love the beach, growing up near Killarney Beach and so I often go for walks and I will talk to Mum as the sun sets.'
The former AFL star said he desperately searched for hope after learning he would need brain surgery, before experiencing a moment he still struggles to explain.
'I went down the next morning after my diagnosis and just as I was about to turn and walk away the sun popped up above the clouds and it was the sharpest ray of sunshine I had copped and I thought, 'Mez has got me there',' he said.
'I thought from that point on I reckon I am going to be right. I am going to be optimistic about it, I am not going to think any other way.'
Brown previously revealed on Instagram that surgeons successfully removed the tumour after wife Kylie urged him to undergo the scan that uncovered the issue.
'After undergoing a routine scan, I was recently made aware of a shadow on my brain that turned out to be a low-grade brain tumour,' Brown wrote at the time.
The three-time premiership winner also opened up on the heartbreaking moment he had to tell his children Olivia, Jack and Macy about the diagnosis.
'Jack is 13, little Min is 11 and Olivia is 16,' Brown said.
'Jack is a bit of a rugby league knockabout but he is the sensitive one in the family. And he came and gave me the biggest cuddle I have ever copped from anyone.
'And he had tears and he just wouldn't let go. He squeezed me so tight he nearly snapped me in half.
'The worst thing you want to do in your life is break your kid's heart and you felt like you were on the precipice. I tell you what, I was ready to fight when I saw their faces after that.'
Brown also revealed there were lighter moments amid the health scare, including a surreal conversation with his father Brian when he called to explain he would miss their planned trip to the Masters golf tournament in Augusta.
'I have to go to Melbourne for surgery. I have got a brain tumour,' Brown recalled telling him.
'There was some silence on the other end ... And then he said, 'What do you reckon, do you think you will still make the Masters?''
The AFL great said he is now recovering strongly and is expected to return to Fox Footy screens in coming weeks after surgery left him with an astonishing amount of metal in his skull from both football injuries and the recent operation.
'I have got a few more plates in my skull after they put the bone back into your head and the count is 19 plates and 80 screws,' Brown said.
'The majority around my face. We have got a few extra Gavin has put in and it's a fair count.'