DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — A walk through a balloon tunnel met cancer patients with cheers, smiles and a team of people ready to make them feel like MVPs.
On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions and Henry Ford Health brought the tailgate experience to cancer patients and their families at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. These patients got the chance to step away from their treatments for a few hours and spend that time with some Lions legends.
The day was designed to bring some fun into a journey that can often feel anything but.
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"Seeing our patients today makes it all worthwhile because we realize there's a whole purpose to what we're doing," Ben Movsas said.
Movsas is co-medical director of the Henry Ford Cancer service line.
The event is part of the NFL's Crucial Catch initiative, aimed at supporting people impacted by cancer, said Detroit Lions Foundation Vice President Roxanne Caine.
"We are bringing together patients, some of their care providers, to just take a moment to say, we support you," Caine said.
For patients like Joel Bastien, who told me she just finished her last round of chemo for breast cancer, this moment is a chance to celebrate her fight.
"Just to have all these fans and the people around you, it's an extension of the support, and everybody here understands what we're going through, we've all been though it," Bastien said.
There were plenty of Lions-inspired surprises, from cheerleaders and Roary to former Lions players handing out special "Tailgate in a Box" gifts. It was a little piece of Lions pride, delivered with a reminder that they have a community behind them.
"Everybody at the Lion's, especially at this time of year, want cancer patients everywhere to know that we support what you're going through, many of us know what it's like to be on that journey and we're here to be able to give you that little extra oomph in order to be able to take that next step forward," Caine said.
For Bastien, the day is a reminder that she's got some grit of her own.
"You seem them on TV, the Lion's play, and it's like all the Grit, well I have Grit too, because you have to have Grit to get through something like this," Bastien said.
It was a little football, a lot of fun and a chance for these patients to feel like they're part of the team.
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