Quinton Aaron, who starred opposite Sandra Bullock in the 2009 film The Blind Side, is “fighting for his life” after contracting a severe blood infection, according to a GoFundMe page.
Aaron, now 41, starred as NFL footballer Michael Oher in the big screen adaptation of Michael Lewis’s popular book. Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, Oher’s adoptive mother who helped lift him out of poverty.
The GoFundMe page says Aaron, who has also starred in One Tree Hill and Law & Order, is “currently hospitalised and on life support due to a severe blood infection”.
“This has been sudden, frightening, and overwhelming for his loved ones,” it continues. “As he fights for his life, his family is facing an immense emotional and financial burden – medical expenses, living costs, and the uncertainty of how long this road to recovery may be.”
The page adds that every donation “will go directly toward supporting Quinton’s medical needs and helping his family stay afloat during this incredibly difficult time”.
The GoFundMe has so far raised $1.3k (£950) of its $10k (£7300) target.
TMZ reported on Sunday (25 January) that Aaron was hospitalised after collapsing at home in Atlanta. The actor was walking up the stairs in his apartment when his legs suddenly stopped working, the website said.
It comes after Aaron revealed a 200lb weight loss in October 2025. Sharing side-by-side pictures of himself on Instagram, he wrote in the caption: “I am overwhelmed and blessed to announce that I have reached another cool milestone in my life. Today, when weighing myself, I noticed that I reached the 200-pound marker.”
Aaron said he wanted to lose a further 55 pounds to reach his target weight.
The real Michael Oher shocked fans in 2023 when he filed a lawsuit against Leigh Anne Tuohy and her husband Sean Tuohy, alleging that rather than adopt him, the couple had actually “tricked” him into a conservatorship that gave them full control of his finances.
Oher claimed to have never received a penny from the film adaptation of The Blind Side. The Tuohys refuted his allegation, claiming profits were shared equally between family members.
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A judge dissolved their conservatorship over Oher in 2023 and a legal battle between the former NFL star and the Tuohys continues.