Devon Still’s daughter to watch him play in person for first time

Devon Still has been playing all season for his daughter, Leah, who is fighting pediatric cancer.

But on Thursday night, the Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle will be more motivated than ever before. That's because Leah has been deemed healthy enough to travel and will be in attendance when her father's team hosts the Cleveland Browns.

It will be the first time Still's 4-year-old daughter has ever seen him play in person.

"It's going to be added motivation just knowing my daughter is watching me," Still said. "I want her to be able to hear how the crowd cheers that loud whenever I make a tackle, so I'm going to go out there and do whatever I can to put a smile on her face.

"It's a fast week and I don't want to get caught up in too much emotion with my daughter, [but] it will probably be the most special game I'm ever going to play because I know my daughter is going to be here to watch me play."

Leah also will be on hand to witness -- and possibly play a role in -- a ceremony between the first and second quarters, during which the Bengals will present a check for more than $1.25 million to Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center.

The team raised the funds through sales of Still's No. 75 jersey. All of the proceeds are going toward pediatric cancer research.

All the money that's been raised for the cancer research is because of her strength and because she's fighting this disease," Still said. "So it's definitely going to be an emotional game for me."

Leah was given a 50% chance to live after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma in June. Obviously, Still had bigger concerns than football this summer and was in danger of not making the team as a third-year pro.

But the Bengals kept Still on their practice squad so he could keep his NFL salary and benefits to help Leah in her fight against cancer. By Week 2, he was on the regular roster and playing in games. Still has a career-high eight tackles with six assists so far this season.

Meanwhile, Leah has been in Philadelphia dealing with her medical issues. A cancerous tumor has been successfully removed from her abdomen, but she still needs several more rounds of difficult treatments before being declared cancer-free. Her next round of radiation is set to start Nov. 10.

Her weight has also been a concern, as an adverse reaction to a feeding tube caused her to drop to as low as 34 pounds. Now back up to 36 pounds and gaining, Leah has been determined to be healthy enough to join her father for a special night in Cincinnati.

"I'll be able to touch her, I'll be able to hug her, which is totally different from being able to FaceTime her," Still said. "I can't wait until she shows up here Wednesday and can go to her first game here. The crowd will go crazy. They've been supporting her this whole time with her being all the way in Philadelphia, and I know her being in Cincinnati, them having a chance to see her, is going to get the crowd kind of hyped up."

Twitter: @chewkiii