Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,552
- 0
PRIOR LAKE, Minn. – There weren’t many dry eyes in the house Friday night.
But the emotional evening also delivered a message of strength and resiliency that not only energized but drew together an entire audience.
As part of the NFL’s Crucial Catch: Intercept Cancer campaign, the Vikings partnered with the American Cancer Society to welcome approximately 200 individuals who have been affected by cancer to a special event hosted by Mystic Lake.
Survivors, those currently battling the disease, as well as loved ones who have lost and/or supported friends and family members during their fight, were invited to a reception where they could meet Vikings Hall of Famers Carl Eller and Paul Krause, followed by a special program.
Vikings teammates Kyle Rudolph and C.J. Ham were featured as guest speakers, along with Golden Gophers placeholder and four-time cancer survivor Casey O’Brien. Emcee for the evening was Alexa Score, who since 2006 has been living with and being treated for chronic myeloid leukemia.
Ham gained a new perspective on the Crucial Catch initiative when his mother, Tina, was diagnosed in 2018 with stage 2 pancreatic cancer. After she underwent surgery, doctors discovered that Tina’s cancer was actually stage 4.
“The outcomes of that aren’t the greatest,” Ham said. “But it’s been almost a year now, and she’s doing such a good job. She’s fighting, and her attitude towards the whole thing has been very moving.”
Ham shared a poignant message and was honest and open about the difficulty of processing the initial news.
“I find myself plenty of times just trying to deal with it on my own, feeling bad and kind of forgetting that my mother’s the one going through this,” Ham said. “There was about a week or so where it was really hitting me and I was struggling, and then I talked to her on the phone and realized, ‘She’s still your mom. She’s still the exact person. Her attitude is still the same. She’s still joyful.’
“Her strength during this whole thing really helps bring us together [as a family] and really helps us realize that we can do this,” Ham added.
Following Ham’s time on stage, Rudolph and O’Brien took time sharing their respective stories and passions.
The Vikings tight end spoke about his commitment to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, which stems from watching at a young age his younger brother, also named Casey, be treated for pediatric cancer.
“Cancer is something that’s affected everyone in some way, shape or form,” Rudolph said. “To be able to bring out some of the cancer survivors and their families and their loved ones, to get together, to be in a group [where] they get to share their stories and draw strength from one another [is incredible].”
O’Brien, who was honored at Sunday’s game against the Eagles as the Vikings Honorary Captain, exuded positivity in sharing his own experience with cancer.