Over the past 13 months, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still and his 5-year-old daughter, Leah, have inspired the nation as they've publicly documented Leah's battle with stage 4 neuroblastoma. Along the way, the duo has won over countless fans with their story of hope, courage and perseverance.
One such fan is "Today" host Hoda Kotb, who is a longtime champion of pediatric cancer research and has become a close family friend of the Stills. Kotb took time before taping her show to talk about her pal Leah, their adorable bond and how Leah has changed her life.
espnW: You have been a supporter of Leah for some time. How did you first hear of her story?
Hoda Kotb: It's really funny. At "Today," we were each doing a charity project. I love music, so I wanted to do a music mash-up that benefited kids with cancer. So I wanted to ask two musicians to sing a song and then we could sell it to raise money for the cause, and it could hopefully become an anthemlike song. So I called Cyndi Lauper and Sara Bareilles to see whether they would mash up "True Colors" and "Brave," and they said they would do it. They had never met but went into the studio, and two hours later, out came magic! We wanted to do a music video with it, so we went to the CHOP [the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia] and asked if some kids wanted to play with us and be in our video. One of those kids happened to be Leah.
I hadn't met her before, and I loved her like I loved all the kids in the video. But there was just something about her that I was really drawn to -- I don't know what it was. She was hugging my leg, I was hugging her, it was that kind of thing at first.
espnW: Did you know her story before that meeting?
Kotb: No, I didn't. I didn't know until after the video was finished. I had talked to all the kids about how they were feeling and that kind of thing, but not really about their family background or who their parents were. I didn't know anything about it, but then later I was hearing about Devon and I said, "Wait, is that our Leah?" I got to know her, and I really got to see the type of kid she is. When you meet her, you just have fun with her. I've really gotten to know her and love her, and I've gotten to know her father and her grandmother and her mom and the whole family. I visit her periodically, and we FaceTime a lot. Actually, we talked yesterday, she showed me eggs she made for her dad's birthday.
Sometimes you do a story and it stays with you, but sometimes it's so much more than a story. And for me, this is just so beyond a story. I feel lucky to have met her.
espnW: What makes her such a special little girl?
Kotb: She's a fighter without even knowing it. I think it's so innate in her. She's full of sunshine on her darkest day -- I don't know how she does it. I just admire her and want to have just one ounce of what she has in her because she is just always sunshine and roses. It's so amazing to know what she's going through, and yet still has that type of attitude. I've only ever seen her down one day, and that's when she was really going through a bad spell, and she was asleep, but she still lifted her head up and said, "Hi, Hoda." I remember thinking, the only time I've ever seen her down is when she's trying to sleep the pain away. She's an amazing kid.
espnW: How do you think Leah has helped the cause through her very public battle?
Kotb: She is living proof that people can overcome things with great doctors, incredible families and a lot of faith. When she was honored at the Bengals game [in November], they played the music video and showed her on the jumbotron. Her dad said, "She loves nothing more than watching herself on the big screen!" But I think the best types of people are the ones who lead by example, not by words, not by anything other than living their life -- those are the people you want to be like. And who would have thought a little 5-year-old is who we would all want to be like? But she really just personifies happiness through difficult circumstances.
This lady made me a headband, she's in her 70s, and she asked if I could give it to Leah. I brought her the headband, and Leah was bald at the time, and she put it right on. It was Bengals colors. I called the woman and said, "I just want you to know, Leah's wearing your headband right now," and she burst into tears. I thought to myself, This little girl is just bringing so much joy to so many people without even really knowing how many people she's touched. All I'm praying is that she continues to get better because she's got a lot left to do. I just can't wait to see what she becomes in the future.
espnW: How has she changed your life?
Kotb: In your life sometimes, you feel like your life is full. You don't realize what was missing until it shows up. For me, all of a sudden Leah showed up in my life and I realized what I was missing. In the beginning I was helping her and trying to help her feel less worried, but in reality, as is often the case when you think you're helping someone, they're actually the ones helping you. I think she's brought a joy I didn't know I was missing into my life. When she answers FaceTime with that adorable voice saying, "Hi, Hoda," I could really just melt. She's brought joy, she's brought light, she's brought hope, she's brought all of it. And I didn't even know I was missing all that! But thanks to Leah, she's just filled it up for me.