Patriots star Calvin Anderson who nearly DIED after contracting malaria on Africa trip and was given 50-50 chance of survival returns to Boston hospital to thank medics who saved him

New England Patriots star Calvin Anderson has returned to the Boston hospital that saved his life after he suffered a near-fatal bout of malaria last year.

The 28-year-old and his wife Sheree visited Nigeria on a charitable trip during last year's offseason.

Anderson contracted the disease while visiting but it was only after returning to Massachusetts that his symptoms began to show. 

A thermometer showed his temperature to be an extremely dangerous 104.5 degrees, and his wife forced him to go to the hospital.

Malaria is caused by a parasite that spreads through mosquito bites. Infected people can suffer fever, chills and flu-like illness.

It was less than a week before the Patriots were due to begin training camp and Anderson was initially skeptical to seek out treatment. 

'I was thinking, "We have training camp coming up. I don't have time to be sick",' he said. 'I told my wife I'm going back to sleep. "I'll sleep it off. I'll be fine".

'But luckily, she trusted her intuition. I wouldn't be here if she didn't.

'There was one night in the hospital where I told my wife I didn’t know if I was going to make it to the next day. 

'The fever is so significant it’s just hard to think past how you’re feeling in the moment.

'But I did make it here and I did get healthy and I’m a much stronger, more resilient person now. So the truth is that I made it through all of that, and I’m grateful I did.'

Anderson spent roughly a week at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and went on to play five games last season. His year ended prematurely, though, because of an unrelated heart condition.

But he returned to Newton-Wellesley Hospital on Thursday to thank the medics that saved his life. He also brought signed Patriots jerseys.

'I'm grateful for this staff,' Anderson told the Boston Globe on Thursday.

'I recognize their faces and think back to the first time I saw some of them, and I was in a much different mental state.

'But I'm really, really grateful they could bring me from where I was [and] back to feeling good.'

Anderson spoke with ten members of staff, including Dr. David Morris, who was one of the first to help the 6-foot-5-inch, 305-pound tackle.

'He's a great guy. I'm impressed with not just his physical strength but his emotional strength,' Morris said.