Former NFL star DeAngelo Williams tragically lost his mom Sandra Hill to breast cancer. And since then, the former running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers has paid for a staggering 500 mammograms for women in hospitals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Charlotte, North Carolina - in order to screen any potential signs of the deadly disease in these women. Needless to say after his beloved mother died of breast cancer at the age of 53, Williams is as determined as ever to prevent others from succumbing to the same unfortunate fate. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/DeAngeloRB/status/653221813690863617]] Sadly, the illness seems to run in the athlete's family as he has also lost four aunts to the disease before the age of 50, <a class="external-link" title="(opens new window)" href="https://www.today.com/health/deangelo-williams-pays-53-mammograms-honor-mom-who-died-breast-t50306?cid=sm_npd_td_fb_ma" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="external-disclaimer">according to Today</a>. The 36-year-old, who also played eight seasons for the Carolina Panthers, even set up a nonprofit organization, known as The DeAngelo Williams Foundation, to help cover the costs of mammogram screenings for women all over the country. “To be able to help all these women is amazing. This can be life-changing for these women,” DeAngelo told Today of his organisation's fantastic efforts. “We are enabling them to get this care that no one should ever be denied or not have access to.” [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/B3M7UjeJouZ/?utm_source=ig_embed]] Williams started sponsoring the free mammogram screenings with the launch of the '53 Strong for Sandra' program. At each event, the foundation covers the cost of mammograms for 53 women. Williams hopes that they will eventually be able to host a free mammogram screening event in each and every state. It was after the foundation's most recent fundraiser '53 Strong Deathlon' in August that it managed to reach the impressive 500 mark. “If we find breast cancer in any of those women, The DeAngelo Williams Foundation will cover their medical journey from the time it’s spotted to the time they’re cancer-free,” Williams said at the time. “Not a dime out of their pocket.”

Former NFL star DeAngelo Williams has paid for 500 mammograms to honor late mom who died of breast cancer

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