After father’s speech, Leah Still gets her ESPY award
Leah Still was unable to travel with her father, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, to the ESPYS Wednesday night in Los Angeles. On Thursday, she got to see her trophy.
Five-year-old Leah has shown tremendous bravery during a fight with cancer that has lasted for more than a year, and on Thursday her father accepted the Jimmy V Perseverance Award on her behalf. Though Leah was sent home from the hospital last month, she was not cleared by doctors to fly to Los Angeles due to a weakened immune system.
Thursday night, Still shared a photo of Leah holding the ESPY award with a caption, “This espy might have both of our names on it but this is Leah's trophy! Like I said last night what I do is easy, she has the hard job. Like a true fighter she showed true perseverance throughout her battle with cancer and I couldn't be any prouder. #leahstrong”
Leah did make an appearance at the ESPYS via a prerecorded message, and after an introduction by LeBron James, Devon’s lengthy speech captivated viewers and was trending on social media before long.
Leah’s cancer went into remission in March, but she has received stem cell and radiation therapy over the past several months.
The Bengals kept Still, 26, on their practice squad last season to help him pay for Leah’s medical care before promoting him back to the active roster. In 12 games last season, Still recorded 19 tackles.
