DeAngelo Williams’ jersey number on the Pittsburgh Steelers may be 34, but it’s the number 53 that changed his life and will help him change the lives of just as many women. The star player’s The DeAngelo Williams Foundation will pay for 53 mammograms at hospitals in Charlotte, North Carolina and Pittsburgh – one test for each year of his mother’s life, who lost her decade-long battle with breast cancer in May 2014, reports the Daily Mail.
Initially, Williams wanted to wear pink the entire year and not just during October to honor his mother, Sandra Hill, and other family members he’s lost to cancer. The NFL told him no.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the League is ‘pinkwashed’ in special pink game apparel that is later auctioned o raise money for the American Cancer Society programs. For Williams, this wasn’t enough.
“‘It’s not just about October for me; it’s not just a month, it’s a lifestyle,” Williams told ESPN. “It’s about getting women to recognize to get tested.”
Recent statistics cite breast cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer among African American women. It is also the second most common cause of cancer deaths in Black women. “Later stage at diagnosis among African American women has been largely attributed to lower frequency of and longer intervals between mammograms,” states a 2013-2014 report from the American Cancer Society. Part of this disparity is due to lack of access and financial resources.
The average cost of a mammogram if paying out of pocket is $243, making Williams’ priceless donation worth nearly $13,000.
Last year in a touching piece for The MMQB the running back wrote, “Sandra Kay Hill is the biggest reason I’ve been able to enjoy eight NFL seasons, going on nine with the Panthers.”
“I remember the summer when my mom finally told me about her diagnosis. I was less than a year away from the NFL. She joked that she elected to have the surgery after the football season because ‘your offseason is my offseason. That’s how she was—fiercely protective of me and my interests.”
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree at all. His fierce protection of her legacy and the lives of all women is truly game changing. As he recently posted to his Twitter account, “#WeAreInThisTogether”.
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