Week 13 of the NFL marks a special observance, MyCauseMyCleats, which highlights causes important to NFL players.
This weekend, players got to wear their hearts on their feet with custom cleats.
Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas teamed up with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and San Antonio-based shoe designer Jake Danklefs for a special pair of cleats in memory of Dak's mom to raise awareness about early screenings.
Prescott's mother, Peggy, lost her battle with colon cancer in 2013.
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Danklefs said when organizers learned he lost his father to colon cancer a year after Prescott's mother died of colon cancer, it seemed only fitting that he would be chosen to design Prescott's cleats.
"Immediately, that's the pairing that needs to happen," said Danklefs.
Danklefs's father was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer and battled for two years before succumbing to the disease.
Danklefs believes he waited too long between his regular screenings and if they had caught the cancer sooner, his father would have faced a different outcome.
"Things would have been caught a lot earlier and he might still be here with us," said Danklefs.
Now, he has to the chance to promote regular cancer screenings with the debut of his design on Sunday Night Football.
Prescott's foundation, Faith Fight Finish, was established as a tribute to his mother and its work honors his brother, Jace, who was lost to suicide in 2020.
The design features the word "mom" on the heel, which is also an acronym for "mind over matter," a hallmark saying of Prescott's foundation faith fight finish.
"It is going to be a pair of shoes and it is going to be a fun game, but the reasoning behind it is what I hope people really take to heart," said Dankfels, who attended the game Sunday night.
For more information on cancer screenings, you can visit BSWHealth.com/GetScreened
