National Football League

40-year-old mother of two becomes NFL cheerleader

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:53 a.m. ET

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Kriste Lewis always dreamed of being an NFL cheerleader.

Well, her dream has come true as she recently made the Saintsations, the New Orleans cheerleading squad.

While that doesn't sound unique at all, this part of her story is:

She's 40 years old and a mother of two boys, ages 11 and 14.

Yahoo!/GMA has the details on Lewis, who suffers from kidney disease:

"There were a lot of young, beautiful girls," Lewis told ABC News of her competition, who ranged in age from 18 to 30. "It was a fear. I will not lie."

Lewis was not just fighting against her age but also against a health issue that she says she turned into an inspiration instead of an obstacle.

"Fourteen years ago I was diagnosed with polysistic kidney disease," Lewis said. "Eventually my kidneys will shut down [and] I will be in need of dialysis and in need of a transplant."

"That had a lot to do with me auditioning as well," she said. "I didn't want to waste a day."

Lewis said she can't wait to run out on the field for the first time this season and she has a message for all mothers:

"I think as moms we are hard-wired to give and we give and we give and we give," she said. "I think it's important to think back [to] what made you excited as a child."

(Thanks to Yahoo! for sharing this story. You can see a video of Lewis' touching story right here.)

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