Leah Still's dad posts news on latest cancer tests
Five-year-old Leah Still and her family have gotten some good news from doctors: her cancer remains in remission.
Her father, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, posted the update on Instagram. "Scans were stable from last time: there was no neuroblastoma in the scans," he wrote.
Leah has been battling neuroblastoma, a cancer that affects the nerve cells, since June of last year. Her dad announced in March that Leah's cancer was in remission.
In an earlier post from Tuesday, Still posted a photo of Leah in the hospital wearing a fancy pink dress and a big smile on her face. "I always get a little nervous on these days," he wrote. "Big day of testing today to see if the cancer is still in remission so she wanted to dress up pretty because if you look good you feel good and if you feel good you get good results.. if that theory is right then I have nothing to worry about because she looks beautiful today."
In recent months, Leah -- who inspired the hashtag #LeahStrong -- has overcome a number of setbacks and complications from her treatment. After undergoing a stem cell transplant, she developed a condition called veno-occlusive disease, or VOD, which blocks blood flow to the liver and can be fatal. She recovered from that and was released from the hospital in June.
Earlier this month, the little girl was honored with the Jimmy V. Perseverance Award at the ESPYs. Her father accepted on her behalf, telling the crowd: "We could've lost faith and let the battle with cancer get the best of us. Or I could give my daughter's battle with cancer a purpose and use my platform to try and raise as much awareness as possible."