CINCINNATI -- It's hard to sooth the hurt of a loss. Devon Still was soothed in the best way Thursday night.
The Bengals defensive tackle and his team lost 24-3 to the Cleveland Browns at home in front of a national audience. They played as poorly as the score would indicate. But in the crowd at Paul Brown Stadium was Still's 4-year-old daughter Leah.
It was the first time Leah Still was able to watch her dad play a football game since she was diagnosed with Stage IV neuroplastoma last June. Her doctors gave her permission to travel from Philadelphia to Cincinnati for a few days before she has to return for another round of chemotherapy that starts next Tuesday. The first four rounds and surgery have helped remove a good portion of the cancer that was spread throughout her body.
The only sign Thursday night that this little girl was sick was the mask she had to wear over her nose and mouth to help protect her from the chilly night air. Her smiles showed through the covering.
"She loves the camera. She thinks she's a movie star," said Still. "I never expect a 4-year-old to be able to go through this and be able to understand what she's going through and be able to put a smile on her face."
Leah Still got to share the field with her dad as part of a ceremony in which the Bengals presented Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with a check worth more than $1.3 million in between the first and second quarters. The money was raised through sales of Still's No. 75 jersey and will go to helping fund research into pediatric cancer.
As Leah Still stood with other pediatric cancer patients and hospital workers near the southwest end of the field, Dad watched from the opposite 30-yard line.
"I would describe it as being an emotional roller coaster," said Still. "Being out there for pregame, and to be able to see my daughter and the excitement going through the game ... Obviously, the game didn't turn out the way we wanted it to, but seeing my daughter on the field as they presented the check, it definitely was joy.
"The strength that she has shown, and the perseverance that she's shown, is the reason that we have been able to raise so much money."
Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer went over to Still during the break, gave him a hug, a handshake and a few words.
"I followed that being a father myself. I can't imagine what he's gone through," said Hoyer. "Reading the stories, it gets you choked up because you put yourself in that situation and with especially how demanding this job is, I just went over and told him I respect the hell out of him, I pray for him and his daughter (Leah). It sounds like things are going well.
"She gets to come to the game tonight -- what a special moment for him. From one father to another, I just (wanted) to show him how much I respect him and hope everything works out for the best."
Mount St. Joseph University freshman basketball player Lauren Hill was also in the suite with Leah Still. Hill has an inoperable brain tumor. Doctors have given her a prognosis that she likely won't live to see the New Year. Yet Hill has begun her college career as a student and athlete at the NCAA Division III school on Cincinnati's west side, a career that now includes having scored four points after a season-opening win against Hiram College last Sunday.
The story of Leah Still and Lauren Hill have galvanized not only the Cincinnati community but have stirred the conscience of the nation.
Still normally wears an eye-black patch during games that reads "Leah Strong" but in honor of Hill he got his daughter's permission to change his message to "Lauren Strong" for last Sunday's game against Jacksonville.
"It was very hard. Just going out before the game and being able to see my daughter in the press box, seeing the different pictures that they were putting up online of her, it definitely made me emotional," said Still. "Somehow I was able to control it during the game. Then seeing them present the check with her on the field. I think the most emotional part for me was when I looked up and saw her next to Lauren Hill -- they had a chance to meet."
