By Omkar Pratapwar
On June 2nd, 2014, Cincinnati Bengals DT Devon Still received the worst news that any parent can receive, that his child had cancer. His 4 year old daughter, Leah, had been diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a type of malignant nerve cancer that is highly rare and occurs mainly in young children. At the time, Devon says he was so unsure of the future, but luckily, fortune favored him. Upon hearing the diagnosis, the Bengals, allowed him to take time off from organized activities and mini-camp to take care of his daughter.
In September unfortunately, the Bengals were forced to release him to acquire an all-important 53-man roster spot. Later, however, the Bengals brought him back onto the practice squad to allow him to receive a paycheck and health insurance. Devon was a bubble player and had to fight for his spot on the team. The position of defensive tackle is one where it is difficult to find quality players, so Still provided the team with a solid back-up and an inspiration for the players and staff.
Still decided to begin fundraising by coordinating a fundraiser where donations would be made based on the number of sacks recorded by the Bengals. On September 8th, the Bengals kicked fundraising up a notch by announcing that all sales from Still’s number 75 jersey would be directly donated to support pediatric cancer research. Within 24 hours, more of Still’s jersey had been than that of any other Bengals players. Other NFL teams also got involved; New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton ordered 100 jerseys, and the New England Patriots cheerleaders all wore pink Devon Still jerseys when the Patriots played the Bengals. In total, over 10,000 still jerseys were ordered, and around $1.3 million dollars were raised for research.
Throughout the timeline of Leah’s chemo, Devon constantly kept his growing numbers of fans updated about his daughter’s situation. In one memorable video, Devon is seen in the front seat of his car, giving a pep talk to his daughter in the back seat. Although, life has been tough for her, Leah Still managed to stay strong, and she even got to come to one of her father’s games. Life for Leah, a four year old little girl, was incredibly tough, and in an especially emotional interview, Devon noted how proud he was of his little girl.
Finally, after months of waiting, Devon received news that was sweet to his ears, that his daughter was ready for surgery. As Leah went through six hours of surgery, Still was excused from practice to go wait at the hospital. As tough as the process was, Leah still was finally cleared as cancer-free. The tumor was gone, and Devon Still could return to his normal life. Or could he? Although horrible to go through, This event allowed Devon Still to put his name out there, raise more awareness and money for pediatric cancer research, and provide inspiration for all of those who are affected and devastated by cancer.
