Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Devon Still learned his daughter had a 50 percent chance of survival due to a rare cancer diagnosis 10 months ago. Today, however, Leah Still is in remission.
Still posted the news on his Instagram account, along with a photo of Leah fist-bumping the camera.
"June 2, 2014 and March 25, 2015 are days I will remember for the rest of my life," he wrote. "As everyone probably knows, June 2 was the day doctors walked into the waiting room to tell me my daughter had cancer. It was the most devastating day of my life. March 25th, however, is feeling like the best day of my life.
"Today we received news from Leah's oncologist that her cancer, Stage 4 neuroblastoma, is officially in remission!"
Neuroblastoma generally affects children under age 5. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body. Neuroblastoma most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit atop the kidneys."
Still had revealed in recent weeks that initial scans showed Leah to be cancer-free, but further tests were forthcoming. Now the family can officially breathe a sigh of relief.
They've received no shortage of support in the months since Leah's diagnosis.
"People have been sending letters and messages on social media about their kids and how they went through similar situations," Still told People in November. "It definitely gives me a positive outlook. A lot of them were from parents of survivors. Hearing their stories helps me have faith that my daughter has a chance to beat this disease."
Still recently re-signed with the Bengals, and head coach Marvin Lewis offered praise for the way the 25-year-old has handled his daughter's situation.
"You have to really take your hat off to him where at his young age, he's been able to deal with it the way he's had to deal with it," Lewis said. "You see that smile on his face again. When we drafted Devon, I had such a great vision for him for the future. It'd be great to get him back to that level and to see that smile on his face."
Focusing on football has almost certainly just gotten much easier for Still. And chances are he'll be focusing a little extra on Leah, too.
