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Hey NFL, It's Time To Go Gold

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On Friday a 9-year-old boy named Sawyer died of cancer. No big deal, you might say, cancer kills seven kids every day.

I didn't know Sawyer, but I knew his mom in high school. I remember her as one of those rare people who treated everyone like a friend, even if you barely knew her.

I've watched her on Facebook. She advocates for gay rights and surrogacy. I watched her get divorced and remarried. Her blended family took a vote and renamed themselves "The Awesome Family." That made me smile.

And then last May, I watched when she announced that her youngest had cancer. She posted a picture of his PET Scan. It looked terrifying. But don't worry, she said, the doctors say that he'll survive.

He didn't. And every day there are seven other kids who don't survive either.

So why is this a sports story? Well, for one, Sawyer was a huge fan. The Seattle Seahawks were his team. For months, players have been sending him videos like this one. It arrived on Thursday.

Those videos made a little boy happy, and for that, I am grateful. But they couldn't make him better.

Sawyer's family is great at hashtags. Their latest is #dontbesorrybeactive. And that's good advice. So, I guess this is me, trying to be active.

Every October, the NFL participates in Breast Cancer Awareness month. Players wear pink, and team shops overflow with bright pink gear. (The league could do a lot better actually making sure that money goes to breast cancer research, but that's a topic for another day.)

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Gold is the color of that cause.

I've never bought a pink hat, and I actually like the color pink.

I'm not a fan of wearing gold, but I'd happily buy and wear a gold hat.

Are you listening, NFL?

Because I know a bunch of Seattle Seahawks fans who would happily wear gold, too.

This segment aired on February 20, 2016.

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Karen Given Executive Producer/Interim Host, Only A Game
Karen is the executive producer for WBUR's Only A Game.

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