Cancer fight continues for Leah Still

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Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still says his daughter continues to battle cancer after a recent doctor's visit didn't result in the news the family was hoping for.

Leah Still, 4, has been fighting Stage 4 pediatric cancer over the past several months.

"I wanted to hear so bad that my daughter's cancer was gone and when I didn't it hurt me bad,"Devon Still wrote over the weekend on Instagram. "I couldn't even bring myself to tell my family the results without breaking down. I honestly just wanted to shut down from every one."

The combination of injuries for Still in the preseason and his mind being preoccupied with Leah's medical battle forced the Bengals to initially cut him Aug. 31 to get down to their 53-man active roster.

A day later, he was re-signed and added to the practice squad so he could pay for Leah's medical expenses with the NFL's health insurance. A week after that, he was promoted off the practice squad to the active roster.

To help raise awareness about the illness, the Bengals raised nearly $1.3 million as part of a donation tied to sales of Still's No. 75 jersey.

"I understand that blessing don't happen when I want them to, they happen when they're suppose to," Still's Instagram post said. "So we are going to keep faith and keep fighting no matter what. #LeahStrong #BeatCancer."

Information from ESPN.com's Coley Harvey was used in this report.

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