TODAY — Cincinnati Bengal defense tackle Devon Still can relate.
“The times since [my daughter] was born are the times that stick out to me because those were the best times of my life,” Still told me during a recent interview.
Watch Josh Elliott’s extended interview with Devon Still on NBCSports.com
One of the worst days of his life was June 2 of this year, the day his 4-year-old daughter, Leah, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma and doctors gave her a 50-50 chance of survival. It was a devastating diagnosis to explain to a child. Still told her she was going to have to do whatever she could to beat it.
“She’s a fighter,” Still said. “As a parent, you always expect your child to look up to you. But honestly, since June 2, I’ve really been looking up to my daughter.”
Leah’s fight has become a national story. When it first broke, the Bengals, who had initially released Still during preseason, took the extraordinary step of signing him to the practice squad. This allowed Still to focus on Leah and also ensured him access to the NFL health insurance plan to cover her treatments.
The team also decided to donate all the profits from the sale of his No. 75 jersey to pediatric cancer research. To date, sales have raised over $1 million dollars.
“When we first decided to make my daughter’s story public, we had a vision,” said Still, who has returned to Cincinnati’s active roster. “We wanted to bring as much awareness to pediatric cancer as possible.”
Click here to read more.