Leah Still is back home.
After 49 days inside the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for a series of post-cancer treatments, the 5-year-old daughter of Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still returned home Monday evening, her father announced via Instagram.
Still posted a picture of Leah as she posed in front of a pool. A caption to the photo read: "Back like she never left." In the picture, the girl who has inspired many across the globe in recent months wore a pink and black shirt and a pink skirt, and had a pink bow atop her head, and a pink purse with a heart on it draped around her shoulder.
An earlier video Still posted to Instagram showed the scene inside Leah's home ahead of her arrival. Inside the home were balloons, streamers, posters of Disney princesses, and a cake with white icing and pink lettering that read: "Welcome home Princess Leah." One of the balloons was of the numeral 5, representing her age. Due to treatments, Leah was unable to celebrate her fifth birthday at home earlier this month.
Days before her fourth birthday, Leah was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer that had originally given her a 50-50 chance of survival.
Back in March, she went into remission. After beating the disease, she suffered a setback a couple of weeks ago in her post-cancer treatments, stemming from a medication she was required to take. Her father told reporters in Cincinnati last week that her body was starting to get used to those treatments, though, and that he anticipated her leaving the hospital within a week.
She left Monday.
"How hasn't she motivated me," Still said last week. "You watch these kids fight for their life and they keep a smile on their face. They never give up. They're resilient. And if you ever watch that -- like I've watched that for a year -- it changes everything about you. It lets you know that you have to make the most of every opportunity that you have."
Although she's well enough to return home, Leah will continue having other outpatient treatments, including stem-cell treatments and immuno-therapy.
Still agreed to a new one-year contract with the Bengals in March after becoming free-agent eligible. As was the case last summer, there's a chance he won't make the team in training camp. Likely behind Geno Atkins, Domata Peko and Brandon Thompson on Cincinnati's depth chart, he could be competing for the Bengals' final defensive tackle job later this year. After shedding 18 pounds this offseason and watching his daughter's example, Still has confidence he will be back in stripes next fall.
"I have an opportunity right now to make this Bengals team and I'm going to try to do it," Still said.