Devon Still, the Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle with a four-year-old daughter battling stage 4 Neuroblastoma cancer, was presented with a $10,000 check while appearing via video on Ellen DeGeneres’ show on Friday.
The check will be donated to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where Still’s daughter Leah is receiving treatment for her illness.
DeGeneres and other celebrities also autographed one of Still’s #75 jerseys and planned to auction it off, with the proceeds going toward the hospital.
Leah Still’s fight against cancer has captivated sports fans and America. Her father, Devon, was kept on with the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad after final cuts at training camp so that he could still use his NFL health insurance to pay for Leah’s expensive treatments. Still admitted that his daughter’s illness had been his main focus and that football wasn’t his top priority — but in a rare move, the team decided to keep him on.
Since then, the family’s story has met with donations and support rolling in from around the country. Despite his daughter’s battle, Still has also managed to crack the team’s game day roster, amassing five tackles in a reserve role, and his jersey — the proceeds of which go to help pediatric cancer research — was the best selling jersey on NFL.com, netting more than $1 million for charity.
But the best news is that Leah Still’s survival prognosis has improved after her tumor was removed during a September operation. Still later posted a video of a pre-surgery pep-talk he gave his daughter on the drive over to the operation.