Patriots player details his fears after being diagnosed with rare autoimmune disease

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Patriots player details his fears after being diagnosed with rare autoimmune disease

Karen Guregian · MassLive

Fri, Jan 16, 2026 ·

2 min read

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FOXBOROUGH - Jahlani Tavai provided some details on some of the hardships he’s endured during the past year which include having to deal with a rare autoimmune disease as well as the loss of an unborn child.

The Patriots linebacker, who was named New England’s Ed Block Courage Award winner, given to players who “best exemplify the principles of courage and sportsmanship while also serving as a symbol of professionalism and dedication” was appreciative of the honor.

Via quotes provided by the team on Friday, Tavai explained after repeatedly suffering from soft tissue injuries prior to training camp, he was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease.

“It was setback after setback. While having those injuries, I found out I had an auto-immune disease that was in my head,” Tavai said of the rare disorder. “It kind of put some fear in my head and within my family. So luckily we were able to get on top of that, and I’m still kicking right now.”

In late November, Tavai had to deal with more heartache. His partner, Kalei Mau, developed a rare blood infection and the couple lost their unborn child, daughter, Ka ua.

“The biggest thing for me was just being thankful for all the help we had from my teammates, the coaches, and to the staff,” Tavai said. “Each and everyone sent a text or showed up to the hospital and let me know my family was being loved.”

Since he’s been busy preparing for Sunday’s Divisional Round playoff against against the Houston Texans , receiving the award hasn’t quite hit him just yet.

“It’s cool to see the names that were also awarded in the past. I don’t know, I’m trying to process it all and get ready for the game. I’m kind of more worried about the game than the award. But I’m truly grateful.”

The 29-year-old linebacker has appeared in 12 regular season games for the Patriots, registering 21 tackles, and added three more in New England’s Wild Card win over the Chargers.

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