Ex NFL Player DeAngelo Williams Pays for 500 Mammograms In Honor of Late Mother Who Passed Away of Breast Cancer

DeAngelo Williams with his mother

Ex NFL Player DeAngelo Williams Pays for 500 Mammograms In Honor of Late Mother Who Passed Away of Breast Cancer

Former NFL player, DeAngelo Williams, 36, continues his dedication of helping those fight breast cancer in honor of his late mother Sandra Hill. Ms. Hill passed in 2014 after her battle with cancer. The former Pittsburgh Steelers running back started covering the cost of mammogram screening for women in 2015 through his nonprofit organization, The DeAngelo Williams Foundation. According to reports, Williams and his foundation have covered the cost of over 500 mammograms at hospitals located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Charlotte, North Carolina. Williams says in a statement,

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

In 2014, soon after his mother’s passing, DeAngelo started the “53 Strong for Sandra” were the former NFL’er chose 53 women because it was a significant number that represented,

“How old my mom was when she lost her battle to breast cancer.”

In a 2015 video, Williams dedicated a tribute to his mother along with his four aunts to the disease. In the video, Williams showed his support for his mother by dying his hair pink. He says,

“My daughter, pink is her favorite color. My hair is pink. My heart is pink. And my toenails are pink. And she always says it’s pink for ‘Nana.’”

This is dedicated to my mom, my aunts & women everywhere affected by Breast Cancer. I love you. #WeAreInThisTogetherhttps://t.co/bAwaanlfzV

— DeAngelo Williams (@DeAngeloRB) October 11, 2015

He adds,

“Pink is not a color, it’s a culture to me. I’ll wear the color pink on the field for the rest of my career. To all the survivors and the ones who’s going through it, we love you. You are not alone. We will continue this fight against breast cancer.“

Just five years after his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, Williams was key in leading a push in 2009 to allow NFL players to wear pink cleats throughout October, Breast Cancer Awareness month.

So sweet!