Still Strong: Devon Still’s Daughter Leah Still’s Cancer Is Officially In Remission

Eldorado2452 March 26, 2015 0

This is some of the best news I’ve heard in a long time. Leah Still, the daughter of Cincinnati Bengals star Devon Still is officially in remission from her rare form of cancer.

According to ESPN,

Nearly 10 months to the day that 4-year-old Leah Still was diagnosed with a rare pediatric cancer that gave her a 50-50 chance of surviving, doctors informed her and her father, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, that she is officially in remission.

Several months after posting a video to his Instagram account that went viral showing he and Leah fist-bumping the camera ahead of one of her surgeries, Still added a photo to the social media site Wednesday that prominently featured Leah punching back toward the camera once again. This time, the photo had a caption that Still had been waiting 296 days to post.

“June 2, 2014 and March 25, 2015 are days I will remember for the rest of my life,” Still 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!”

Wednesday’s news came on the heels of a week filled with a couple of other positive nuggets for the Stills. Last Tuesday, doctors informed them that tests revealed there was no active trace of the cancer within Leah’s body. It was optimistic news, and a step toward this latest announcement.

Two days after that, Still decided to sign a one-year offer the Bengals had extended earlier this month. Previously a restricted free agent, Still became an unrestricted free agent just entering the new league year when the Bengals declined to tender him at the low-round free-agent level. It gave him a chance to mull over his future while taking into account Leah’s health, and it also permitted him an opportunity to field offers from other teams.

June 2, 2014 and March 25, 2015 are days I will remember for the rest of my life. As everyone probably knows, June 2nd 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 four neuroblastoma, is officially in REMISSION! After 296 days of day dreaming about what it would feel like to hear the doctors say my daughter is in remission, I finally know the feeling. Funny thing is there is really no way of describing it because I never knew this feeling existed. When I look at my daughter all I can do is smile and hug her. It was not easy but every day, and every treatment Leah fought like hell and kicked cancers butt! I’m so proud and blessed to call her my daughter. She has made an impact on me and on the world, at the age of four, that I can only wish to make in a lifetime. Thank you to my family and friends for the support through all those tough days. Thank you to everyone who has sent a letter to give Leah and our family motivation to keep fighting, a toy that helped Leah get through her days in the hospital, and more importantly a prayer that helped God hear our cries for healing. Thank you to the doctors at CHOP for putting together the best plan of action for my daughter. Thank you to Child Life members Sarah, Laura, and Lindsey for really turning what could be a scary place into a place where Leah would enjoy going because she knew she would have fun with you guys. Thank you to the Bengals for taking on my situation and standing by me and my family and for helping to raise money to fight pediatric cancer. To every media outlet and persons that helped raise much needed awareness, thank you. Leah is not done with treatments yet. She still needs more to make sure the cancer cells do not return and to build back up her immune system and other damage from the chemo but I know my little warrior will get through it! #FistBump #LeahStrong #BeatCancer #TheFightAgainstChildhoodCancerIsFarFromOver #ThrowingTheBiggestKidPartyEver #WaitForIt

A photo posted by Devon Still (@man_of_still75) on Mar 25, 2015 at 1:29pm PDT