By DWIGHT JAYNES (@dwightjaynes)

Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge apparently suffered from what he calls a "blood virus" while recovering from his recent hip surgery.

In his own words on the team's website, this is what Aldridge said about it:

Hey Blazers fans. I write this post with a lot of thankfulness and gratitude. My first rehab is going well. I'm officially walking and no longer need to use crutches at all. Im getting my mobility back and have started some strengthening activity.But, this past week was a very scary one for me. On Saturday I came down with a blood virus. I quickly became sick and had to be rushed to the hospital. I thought it was a case of bad food or a bad cold, but I was wrong. It turned out to be a very serious virus that if not treated quickly could actually be deadly! One thing I know for sure is that Ive never felt worse in my life and there were times I wasnt really sure where I was going. Thankfully I had a lot of family support and great medical care that helped me fight through it and now Ive turned the corner and Im feeling much better.

I know it was God ultimately that decided my fate and looked out for me to make sure I got healed. I'm truly thankful for still being here and being able to do functions like walk, talk and open my eyes as those things were hard to do during that time. Never take your health for granted. Good health is a true blessing. Have a great weekend and Ill check in next week.