Get ready to wipe away some tears.
Leah Still, daughter of Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, successfully underwent surgery Thursday to remove a tumor.
The procedure, performed at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, lasted nearly 6 hours.
"Leah was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma June 2, the same weekend Still originally had been given permission to leave Cincinnati Bengals OTAs in order to see Leah perform in a dance recital. After she complained of pain in her hip when he got home, Still took her to the hospital where she was diagnosed. The pediatric cancer left her with a 50-50 chance of survival," ESPN reports.
Leah, while obviously in a much better position than she was only days ago, is not finished with her battle yet. Chemotherapy, radiation and stem-cell transplants are to follow the surgery.
Still was originally cut by the Bengals after training camp, but brought back to the practice squad in part so that he could keep his insurance and pay for Leah's medical bills. Still has said that Leah's bills could cost up to $1 million, but that the league has promised to pay for it all.
He was promoted to the active roster two weeks ago in place of Brandon Thompson and has 5 tackles in 2 games. Unsurprisingly, Still has said that his focus has not recently been on football.
Daughter Leah's struggle has led Still to develop a mission to raise awareness of and funding for pediatric cancer research. All proceeds from sales of Still's jersey are going to Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
They raised nearly $400,000 in only 4 days and Thursday a Bengals source told ESPN that the team had now raised $1 million and sold almost 10,000 jerseys.
Check out Still's Instagram account for all kinds of feel good pictures of him and his daughter: https://instagram.com/man_of_still75.
You can also go to Still's Pldgit page, https://www.pldgit.com/prayforleah, to donate.
