Former NFL Football Star Pays for 500 Mammograms in Memory of Mom Who Died of Breast Cancer

(Getty Images | Streeter Lecka)

After losing his mother to breast cancer, former NFL player DeAngelo Williams started a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing and fighting the disease. Within four years, they have covered the cost of mammograms and aftercare for over 500 women.

Sandra Hill, mother to the former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, passed away from breast cancer back in 2014. Williams also lost four aunts to the disease, all of whom died before the age of 50. And after his mother’s death, he began a program through The DeAngelo Williams Foundation in 2015 called “53 Strong for Sandra,” where he would cover the cost of 53 mammograms at each event, as reported by Today.

©Getty Images | Cindy Ord

On Twitter, Williams said that 53 represents a “significant number”; it was “how old my mom was when she lost her battle with breast cancer,” he wrote.

According to ABC News, the program began with screening centers in Charlotte, North Carolina, before spreading to hospitals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee; and most recently in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Since the program began, Williams sponsored the cost of over 500 mammograms and plans on expanding to every state in the country.

“To be able to help all these women is amazing. This can be life-changing for these women,” Williams said, per TODAY. “We are enabling them to get this care that no one should ever be denied or not have access to.”

While his mother was still battling breast cancer, Williams showed support by painting his nails and hair pink. And he convinced the NFL to let all players compete in pink cleats during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. After her passing, he requested to wear the color for the entire year, but his request was denied.

Williams first began his non-profit in 2006, and the now-retired football player is continuing to work towards his foundation’s mission “to develop and seek initiatives to support the eradication of breast cancer through preventative care and research,” per the non-profit’s website. 

“DeAngelo wants to ensure that no woman (or man) fights breast cancer alone,” Risalyn Williams, his wife and executive director of The DeAngelo Williams Foundation, explained.

In October 2019, The DeAngelo Williams Foundation posted their impressive achievements on Facebook with a caption announcing that they have “sponsored well over 500 mammograms and have no plans of stopping!” The post was shared 1,000 times, and users on the social media platform applauded their efforts.

One Facebook comment read, “Thank you. Your generosity is saving lives and making a difference.”

Another noted, “As a breast cancer survivor, thank you, your Mom is smiling down at the lives you are touching and saving. My Mom was recently diagnosed with the same breast cancer as I. No one wants to have cancer, but no survivor wants anyone they love to have to walk their journey.”

One particularly heartfelt comment said: “Mr. Williams, I cannot possibly thank you enough. You are exactly the type of person that The Lord treasures. Truly, you have set an example for everyone else about what it means to be kind, generous and compassionate. May GOD bless you and your family.”