A Message for Families Struggling to Pay for Cancer Care
- Former NFL player Devon Still was featured in SurvivorNet’s annual ‘Close the Gap’ conference this year. It’s an event meant to raise awareness and make sure everyone, particularly communities of color, have access to the best cancer care.
- Still knows first-hand how challenging it is when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, as his daughter Leah was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was just four years old.
- Even though Still was playing in the NFL at the time, his family struggled to deal with the extremely high cost of Leah’s treatment.
- The experience inspired him to start a foundation, Still Strong, which provides assistance to families with children battling cancer.
Still’s family knows first-hand how challenging it is when a child is diagnosed with cancer, as his daughter Leah was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer often found in the adrenal glands (the small glands on top of the kidneys), when she was just four years old.
View this post on InstagramRead More“Can y’all help me wish Leah a happy 15th birthday!” Still wrote in an Instagram video celebrating his daughter’s birthday.Even though Still was actively playing in the NFL at the time, his family was at a loss when trying to figure out how to pay for treatment — especially after they were told it would cost around $1 million.
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“While I played in the NFL, I didn’t have $1 million in my bank account in order to cover the treatment,” Still said.
“When we look at the challenges that a lot of families face, and I think the disparities among the black and brown community, when a child is diagnosed with cancer … about 20% of those families already live in poverty,” he added. “A lot of families lose about 40% of their annual household income due to cancer treatment/work-related disruption.”
After going through the challenge himself, Still was inspired to create the Still Strong Foundation, which provides assistance to families with children battling cancer.
Leah is now eight years cancer-free and Still is committed to using their experience to raise awareness about the sacrifices families have to make to support their children through a cancer diagnosis and treatment — and to hopefully get more families more access and support.
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