Xavier Restrepos is wide receiver for the Miami Hurricanes. (Image Source: Miami University)
Miami’s Xavier Restrepos became the talk of the town after an epic 66-yard touchdown reception boosted his NFL Draft stock.
Many fans might have noticed something unusual about his face, particularly around his lips. The athlete’s mother came forward and shared the details.
Highlights
Xavier Restrepos’s facial swelling is due to a vascular malformation, a condition he has had since birth.
The Miami wide receiver’s mother, Ashley Padgett, explained the details of his condition.
Many fans initially thought the swelling on Xavier’s face was caused by rough gameplay.
Xavier Restrepo graduated from Deerfield Beach High School in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
He joined Miami University in 2020. As he began making solid performances in college football, people started noticing the swelling on his face.
Many thought his face was injured during games. However, in August 2022, his mother came forward to clear the misconception.
Xavier Restrepo’s Facial Swelling Is Due To A Vascular Malformation
In an interview, Xavier Restrepo’s mother explained thatwhen he practices or exerts himself, the blood flow causes the veins in his face to swell.
When Xavier was born, doctors initially diagnosed the swelling as a strawberry hemangioma.
However, young Xavier began complaining about it because the condition bothered him during his youth football years.
His parents took him to a children’s hospital in Miami and learned it was a vascular malformation.
Moreover, his mother also shared that during Restrepo’s birth, forceps were used, which pinched a cluster of veins on his face.
“When he was being born, they used forceps and accidentally pinched a cluster of veins in his face. They took him out, and we didn’t know that until later in life.”
His parents didn’t realize the full extent of this until later in life. While they could have pursued legal action within five years, they chose not to.
“We had five years to file a lawsuit, but when it comes down to it, money is not everything. Unfortunately, he lives with it and goes through it, after the season, we look forward to getting more work done on it.
Furthermore, when asked if she remembers the first time she saw it and how old he was, Ashley replied,
“Oh yeah, I was freaking out. He was three months old. When he was born, you couldn’t really see it. Then he started having a little bit of bruising, so it didn’t swell up when he was young, it just started bruising.”
His mother, Ashley Padgett, recalled feeling frantic when he was three months old.
Although the injury wasn’t visible at birth, bruising began to appear as he grew. While it didn’t swell initially, the bruising started to develop over time.
The footballer’s mother added that it was when they started noticing, and that’s when the doctor said it was a strawberry hemangioma and that it would go away, but it never went away.
Despite the challenges from his facial injury, he has successfully made a name for himself in the NFL.
Recently, Restrepo recorded eight receptions for 146 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, playing a pivotal role in Miami’s fifth game of 2024 with 50+ points.
His performance included a standout 66-yard touchdown, and with 2,573 career receiving yards, he surpassed Santana Moss (2,547) to become the Hurricanes’ all-time leader.
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