A preschooler battling cancer capped another chemotherapy visit with an unexpected highlight earlier this week, tossing a blue football with college standouts in town for the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl.

The child has spent much of the past nine months in the pediatric infusion suite known as The Hope at USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital according to a news release. On Monday, instead of heading straight home after treatment, he joined visiting players for a few throws and wide smiles.

“You never really know what someone else is going through,” Justin Joly, a tight end who played for the North Carolina State Wolfpack and was visiting the hospital, said in the release. “Having the opportunity to put smiles on people’s faces really brought me joy today.”

Joly was among 21 players who toured the region’s only hospital for children and women, meeting patients and families and thanking staff as part of Senior Bowl community outreach. The visits were organized through the hospital’s Mapp Child and Family Life Program, which focuses on normalizing hospital stays for children, an approach research shows can improve health outcomes.

Rayshaun Benny, a defensive tackle from the University of Michigan, said the chance to connect with children and parents in the infusion center resonated deeply as he moved through the pediatric intensive care unit.

“My passion is giving back to kids,” he said. “Just being able to make an impact feels really good.”

Players and Senior Bowl staff spread out across the campus, stopping in patient rooms and visiting ClassAct, the hospital’s school program, the Treehouse therapeutic playroom on the third floor and the neonatal intensive care unit, where extremely premature and critically ill infants receive specialized care.

“Some days can be challenging for patients and staff, and so something special like this, a chance to get to see a player that they've been watching on TV for a while, that they'll continue watching on TV, just now on Sundays, that makes a difference,” said Beth Abston, a recreational therapist with the Mapp program. “It is great for the staff, too. It brightens their day as well.”

The Mapp Child and Family Life Program supports families through child life specialists, recreational therapists and full-time certified teachers who specialize in education, coping and support activities designed to reduce stress and help families manage the health care experience.

The Senior Bowl has been held annually in Mobile for more than 76 years and showcases top college football prospects. Community events take place throughout the week leading up to the game, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31, at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama. More information is available at www.seniorbowl.com.