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Few words frighten a parent quite like these four: "Stage IV pediatric cancer."
Cincinnati Bengals player Devon Still knows this better than most. His four-year-old daughter, Leah, heard the terrible combination of words June 2. Despite the terrifying diagnosis, both father and daughter have met the challenge head-on -- an effort Devon recounted in a recent interview with the Today Show (above).
“She’s a fighter. As a parent, you always expect your child to look up to you. But honestly, since June 2, I’ve really been looking up to my daughter,” Still told the Today Show's Josh Elliott. “She’s way stronger than I ever have been. For her to be able to continue to smile through all this, and continue to still have that same personality, it’s amazing. And it’s definitely inspiring to me."
Last month, Still published a brief video on Instagram of the pep talk he and Leah shared before she went in for surgery to remove a tumor. The heartfelt moment resonated with many as it instantly went viral:
"I might be nervous and scared beyond words," Devon wrote in the Instagram caption, "but I'll never let her see it...let's get this done!"
WATCH Still's interview with the Today Show, above.
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