St. Louis City SC midfielder Eduard Lowen has announced that his wife is battling brain cancer. Lowen, who hasn’t played in over two months, shared the news with reporters on Thursday, saying, “My wife, Ilona, is doing well at the moment, thank God. She’s doing really well and we’ll see how it’s progressing.”
The German midfielder added, “I appreciate this setting a lot because I know that I can talk very openly about it… where I come from [Germany], it’s never as easy to talk about stuff like that, and as openly, because many times it gets seen as weakness.”
Lowen revealed that his wife had been dealing with severe headaches that worsened over time, leading to surgery in early April.
During the press conference, Lowen requested prayers for Ilona and expressed gratitude that she was happy to see him playing again. He also thanked the St. Louis organization and his teammates for their support and understanding during this difficult time.
After suffering a legitimate hamstring injury in March, Lowen was given space to deal with personal matters by St. Louis coach Bradley Carnell, as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Lowen, 27, moved to MLS last year after playing for clubs including Nürnberg, Augsburg, Hertha Berlin, and Bochum in the Bundesliga. He had a standout season last year, scoring six goals and providing nine assists as St. Louis finished first in the Western Conference, but has played just three games this season.
