The Cincinnati Bengals will have a very special guest in attendance when they face the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. Leah Still, the 4-year-old daughter of Bengals defensive lineman Devon Still, will be able to watch her father play in person for the first time in her life.
Leah has been battling Stage 4 pediatric cancer. Her courage has moved millions of people from across the country and world.
“It’s going to be added motivation just knowing that my daughter is watching me,” Still said, per Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. “I want her to be able to hear how the crowd cheers loud whenever I make a tackle, so I’m going to go out there and do whatever I can do to put a smile on her face.”
After being diagnosed in June and given a 50-50 chance at survival, Leah has undergone successful surgery to remove a tumor from her abdomen and has fought through several rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and stem-cell treatments. She is scheduled for another round of radiation next week.
[WATCH: Devon Still gives daughter a heartwarming pep talk]
Still is hoping that Leah will feel well enough to join him on the field Thursday night when the Bengals present a check for more than $1.25 million to go toward pediatric cancer research. The money was raised from selling Still’s No. 75 jersey the past two months. More than 15,000 jerseys were sold.
“I hope she gets the crowd going so that we have a lot of energy in that stadium and can come out with a win,” Still said.
It will be impossible not to root for the Bengals on Thursday. Leah’s story transcends the game of football.
