OSU Football sent a care package to a six-year-old with cancer and it’s the sweetest thing we’ve ever seen
Darran Dunlap motivates others to stay positive and ‘press on’
This weekend, the Ohio State University football team sent a care package to a six-year-old girl who has been battling cancer for over a year.
Her father, Colin Dunlap of CBS Pittsburgh, is a graduate of West Virginia University and was sports writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. While there, he covered the Pirates, area college football and basketball, and the prep sports scene.
The package contained letters signed by Assistant LB Coach Ryan Crow, an OSU football t-shirt, two name badges, a Block-O sticker and more.
People continue to amaze us. We have no allegiance or connection to Ohio State football — and this package came for Darran today. What class. They just gained some fans. pic.twitter.com/1L2Dn155r8
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) November 18, 2017
Colin Dunlap tweeted a series of photos to share the contents of the package with his followers.
"People continue to amaze us," he wrote. "We have no allegiance or connection to Ohio State football – and this package came for Darran today. What class. They just gained some fans."
Colin joined 93.7 The Fan when it launched in February 2010 as a weekend show host. He also serves as a featured sports columnist for CBSPittsburgh.com. Neither he, nor his family, have any allegiance or connection to The Ohio State University.
Today is World Prematurity Day. I think of how much our little preemies have endured from Day 1; how strong both are and how they will continue to persevere into the future. pic.twitter.com/Nn2cyDouXM
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) November 17, 2017
In Novemeber 2016, his 5-year-old daughter, Darran, was diagnosed with cancer. "She went to Children's Hopsital complaining of hip pain; they told us she had leukemia," Dunlap wrote.
On December 11, 2016, Dunlap tweeted: "My daughter's body is crushed by chemo but she won't let me carry her up [the] steps to bed. "I'll make it," she says each night – and does. So tough."
my daughter's body is crushed by chemo but she won't let me carry her up steps to bed. "I'll make it,"she says each night-and does. so tough pic.twitter.com/4xe9VecqI0
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) December 12, 2016
The video of Darran making her way up the stairs in her fuzzy, leopard-print slippers has now been retweeted more than 98,000 times and has been "loved" nearly 283,000 times.
Recently, Darran's story has reached the hearts of the Buckeye linebackers. A note from the linebackers came with the package reads, "Darran, you are a rockstar! Never stop fighting!"
I’m certainly not an OSU football fan, but I hate them a little less after this. Keep up the fight Darran!! Class move by OSU
— Brian Shallenberger (@Brian_6153) November 18, 2017
From all of us at The Ohio State University, keep fighting Darran!