Say the name “Emmitt Smith” and fans will brag about the 52-year-old’s relentless spirit, endless accomplishments and victorious career as a running back for 15 seasons in the National Football League during the 1990s and 2000s. After all, Smith is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, the league's all-time leading rusher and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But ask the sports legend about strength and determination and he’ll bring up his sister, a breast cancer survivor diagnosed with Stage 2 triple negative breast cancer — one of the most aggressive of the disease.
“Watching her go through it, getting the news and going through the process of the treatment… seeing how she did it, which is amazing in terms of courage, in terms of her attitude towards it. You think you know people’s strength until you find yourself or them going through a little bit of adversity — in this case life-threatening adversity— and you see how they handle it. You learn a lot about who they are, and you learn about how strong they really are. You also learn the power of positive thinking,” he says.
The experience changed Smith and inspired him to become an advocate for breast cancer awareness, using his platform to spread the critical message of the importance of preventative care. “Make sure that you’re getting your checkups, your mammograms — all the things that you need to do.”
On October 29 Smith will be the featured speaker at the 17th Annual Go Pink Luncheon, sharing his family’s experience and the lessons learned. “Me being in the position of having a voice that can reach people — to utilize it in the most positive way, having that connection makes it a lot easier because breast cancer survivors and families who go through it, we have something in common,” Smith says, adding that it is equally important for men to be aware of the disease. “If it affects women, it affects the family. It affects everybody. It affects our community.”
According to breastcancer.org, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Second to lung cancer, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women.
The Go Pink Luncheon has raised millions of dollars to support the programmatic, technological, educational and research needs of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute, the Schmidt Family Center for Breast Care and the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute. This incredible luncheon will feature a variety of fundraising initiatives, including a wine raffle and a grand prize Napa Valley experience. Community Philanthropist Patti Carpenter serves as the luncheon Chair. All proceeds benefit cancer programs at Boca Raton Regional Hospital to fund critically important breast cancer detection and treatment initiatives.
As for his sister, Smith shares a happy update, “She’s doing great! She still has her tag with her pink ribbon. She’s a big supporter of any woman or any person going through this.”