by Roxanne Roberts from The Reliable Source
Tanya Snyder always kept a low profile: The wife of Redskins owner Dan Snyder hasn't had much of a public persona, hardly ever got in front of a microphone.
But that was before she got breast cancer. Tanya Snyder, 47, just agreed to become an NFL national spokeswoman, talking up the cause to football fans. "I have to speak out about this through the NFL and reach as many people as possible," she said Tuesday at a luncheon for cancer patients at Redskins Park. "It's a great opportunity."
The elegant blonde received the diagnosis last year, five years after her mother battled the disease and two months after her own annual mammogram came back normal. Snyder said she found an undetected lump ("I just knew something was wrong") and persisted until doctors found Stage 1 cancer. After multiple surgeries, Snyder said she's "as healthy as I've ever been." Her message: "Pay attention to yourself. Put yourself on the calendar. This is something that's treatable."
Snyder spent the day with 20 local women fighting breast cancer who were invited for pampering -- lunch with players and wives, and gifts of wigs, makeup and jeans. "Today is about you," said guard Derrick Dockery, who hosted the event on the team's day off with wife Emma and tight end Chris Cooley and his wife, Christy.
Dockery's mom, Sheila, is a breast cancer survivor, his mother-in-law died from the disease, and Cooley's mom, Nancy, received her diagnosis last year. When her hair began falling out from chemo treatments, she asked Cooley to buzz the rest. "It was really emotional," he told us. "It made it more real than it already was." After a double mastectomy, she's in remission and doing well, he said.
To raise awareness, Tanya Snyder has asked players to wear something pink for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay. (Cooley will sport pink shoes and gloves.) The ladies at the luncheon were surprised with tickets and pink-and-burgundy jerseys. They'll appear on FedEx Field as the players emerge for introductions before the crowd.
"If you want to draw red-zone plays and leave them on the board..." Cooley joked to his guests. "Have a blast."
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Putting on a Game Face to Tackle Cancer
Photos by Ned Dishman
14 comments:
Chris your a good guy!!
just more proof that you are the man Cooley. make sure you can still catch with those gloves though, i need some fantasy points from you this week. haha
Wow that has to be the most amazing experience for those women. I am truly proud to be a redskins fan! After losing my mom to best cancer, things like this warm my heart.
Best of luck with your mom, Chis.
Glad to hear your mom is doing well! It's a great thing you all did for these ladies.
Great work Chris, so appreciate your work for the community.
"If you want to draw red-zone plays and leave them on the board..." Cooley joked to his guests. "Have a blast." Best quote I've heard all week.
Next best quote of the week from Mike Wise's Fletcher article in today's Wash Post: Chris Cooley is respected as a beer truck with a broken parking brake after he catches the ball"
These are the truly important events in life.
Mahalo, Chris, for bring people together to care about others!
HAIL!
Thank you for sharing this story - always inspiring to hear positive stuff about negative disorders and diseases....
Wow, this story was humbling and you know what, I think us Skins fans (especially me) feel bad for being so hot headed the past few days about Sunday's lost (but I wasn't bashing the team or you at all). When it's all said and done the Washington Redskins organization is a good role model to its community.
Chris, I hope your mom keeps doing well and I'm looking forward to seeing JC and you connect more this Sunday!
Hail Skins! & Lets Go CAPS!
Awesome job Chris and Tanner. Glad to hear your Mom is doind great! It's nice to see the awareness that you bring to the table to help fight this terrible disease.
HTTRS
Your a class act chris, so whats the deal with this charity event can i make a donation with out having to buy your lop sided pottery.
Chris, it's really great to see professional athletes get involved in trying to ease some of the devastation that comes with this terrible disease. Thank you fir volunteering your time to maybe make it a little easier on these ladies to get through it! A year ago tomorrow, I lost my grandfather to cancer. He is the reason my whole family are diehard Skins fans! Best thing about last season, we beat Dallas on the last Sunday he was alive and he got to see it!!! HTTR! :)
God bless you and your mom, Chris, for taking on this battle. Tell your mom I had an aunt who had a double-mastectomy at the age of 60 and lived to be 92 years old! I hope all goes well for her. Now, don't forget to concentrate on the game! ;-)
Chris / Tanner -- thanks for the work on Breast Cancer awarness. My wife Amy just finished her last chemo treatment last Tuesday. She's 33 and an absolute warrior. She's the custest toughest bald woman ever. Keep up the good work.
Chris - Peake Clothing
Chris/Tanner,
Not sure if you heard the EITM show Friday morning. Elliot decided it was his duty to harrass and make fun of the "Touch of Life" special report that aired the night before due to the fact that the woman used had small breasts. If you heard his rude and completely immature comments I hope that you take the time to talk to him about this topic on Monday morning instead of how the weekend in the NFL.
If not, I hope that you can at least have the courage to read his comments to your mother and then mention that you stood by while nothing was said to Elliot.
I hope that you are truly the good person everyone says. We shall see.
Post a Comment