Mark Toothaker settled down to watch Monday Night Football like he always did, completely unaware that this particular game was about to save his life. The New York Giants were playing the New England Patriots, and Giants kicker Younghoe Koo stepped up for a field goal.
Koo strolled up to the ball, withdrew his leg, and then… stumbled, completely whiffing and stubbing his toe. Tootaker couldn’t believe his eyes and began chuckling. He watched the reply, clutching his sides with laughter. He rewound it once more, his laughter echoing around the house as tears fell from his eyes.
Man says Younghoe Koo accidentally “saved his life” after a missed kick against the New England Patriots had him laughing so hard he went into a seizure which sent him to the hospital where they found a tumor in his brain. pic.twitter.com/vDcRimdcRh
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) April 28, 2026
Then, out of nowhere, he suffered a seizure. As he later said: “I felt like I got electrocuted.” His wife Malory, who works as a nurse for a brain injury doctor, thought he was kidding but soon realized something was very wrong. She called 911, and soon paramedics were rushing him to the hospital.
A seizure may indicate a neurological issue, so doctors ordered a CT scan. What they saw left their jaws on the floor: Toothaker had a “tennis-ball-sized” tumor on the left side of his brain. He had presented no symptoms before his seizure, though the tumor had moved his brain 6mm to the right. Toothaker was then transferred to the University of Kentucky hospital, where he underwent immediate brain surgery.
“The kicker saved my life”
Mark Toothaker, 59, had no symptoms and no idea a tumor had moved his brain 6 millimeters to the right. https://t.co/TOXI1CuSHe
— NBC 7 San Diego (@nbcsandiego) April 28, 2026
The operation was a complete success and the tumor was removed. Analysis brought further good news as it was confirmed to have still been benign, and Toothaker was soon back home with no lasting damage. He’s grateful to the surgeons and nurses who saved his life, but he also has a special place in his heart for Koo:
“The kicker saved my life because it could’ve happened any other time. I wholeheartedly believe I was in the right spot at the right time, and he was the trigger for that happening. It was a miracle. I could have had it on a plane, anywhere. I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t run over a family in my Expedition running up and down the road.
I guess that would’ve been the hardest thing for me to live with if somebody would’ve got hurt out of this. Believe me, as tough as that thing was, as violent as that seizure was, I have no memory of it and I would find it hard to believe that I wouldn’t have hurt somebody or hurt myself if I would’ve been behind a wheel.”
Koo has so far not commented on this bizarre situation, despite having been contacted by multiple journalists for comment. Toothaker has even invited him to be his guest at the Kentucky Derby to no avail. Perhaps, for a professional athlete, an embarrassing goof on the pitch is still worse than saving a man’s life?
