Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Devon and Asha Still about Conceivinghood, the NFL draft, and advice for new dad Patrick Mahomes.
Devon Still made headlines back in 2014 as his daughter Leah fought for her life after being diagnosed with Neuroblastoma stage 4 cancer. The former NFL defensive lineman has since become a nationally respected inspirational speaker following his football career.
Still and his wife Asha recently teamed up with Clearblue’s Conceivinghood campaign as spokespeople and ambassadors. Conceivinghood is a new term and now a public conversation to acknowledge the pre-pregnancy phase. Clearblue is bringing attention to what can be a quiet yet, emotional time period among those on their conception journey to offer support, guidance, and education.
Chiefs Wire writer Ed Easton Jr. recently sat down with the inspirational couple to talk about the partnership, their daughter Leah, the NFL draft and some advice for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Chiefs Wire: What inspired you both to get involved with Clearblue’s Conceivinghood program?
Asha: So we first started our TTC (Trying To Conceive) journey about three years ago. And we were having some struggles with just receiving the results that we wanted; we kept receiving on a negative path, negative pregnancy results, or results for a pregnancy test. Clearblue actually reached out to us and provided a resource for us with the clear blue eye relation test system to help me track my fertility. And for us to get the results that we were looking for when conceiving, that led us to work with clear blue and share our story.
Devon: And then last year, we tried to expand our family even more. And we ended up experiencing embryonic pregnancy, and we had a miscarriage. And my wife and I shared that story on our podcast and clear blue got wind of it, they reached out to us. And they let us know that they had this panel where they wanted to create a safe space for people to really be outspoken about some of the struggles you experienced with your TTC journey. And that’s how we rekindled that partnership. We hopped on the offer because these are things that need to be discussed; it needs to be normalized because many people experience shame as they go through this type of journey.
Chiefs Wire: What gives you the courage to share such personal information?
Devon: Realizing that this platform comes with responsibilities that when you’re given this platform, it’s just not about you, that you have to be able to use your platform to do some good in this world and just seeing the impact that we were able to have as a family when we went public with Leah’s battle with cancer it just let us know how much this is needed, how much this transparency is needed in this world. So we decided to do the same thing with our TTC journey, and you know, try to be a light for other people; they actually became a light for us because we realized we weren’t the only families facing these types of struggles. To be able to partner with brands like this, who really aligned with our mission and vision in life, was a no-brainer.
Chiefs Wire: How has Leah been lately?
Devon: Yeah, so this past March, she turned six years cancer-free. So she’s doing good, just enjoying her life. You know, being a regular kid, not having to worry about being in and out of the hospital has truly been a blessing. As I said, we don’t take any of this for granted. Because we know how things can change in a blink of an eye. So we really, you know, enjoy the moments that we all have together.
Chiefs Wire: What inspired the REALationships podcast?
Devon: So we actually started the relationship podcast because when we looked on social media was a lot of influencers sharing their relationship where they were sharing the good side of the relationship. And we all know that in marriage and relationships, you have your ups and downs. So we really wanted to bring the real back to relationships by sharing our struggles in our marriage and overcoming adversity in our marriage.
Chiefs Wire: What was your process like heading into the 2012 NFL Draft? Any message for this year’s class?
Devon: There’s a lot of preparation that goes into this. It starts from when you first start playing football, learning the game, you know? Being able to dream, a dream that’s so big, you really believe that you have the capabilities to make that dream come true. Obviously, when you graduate, or you leave college, it becomes real. Just putting in the work for the Senior Bowl if you get invited to that, putting in the work to go to the combine if you get invited today, and then leading up to the day where you finally find out if you’re going to hear your name in the draft if you’re going to be called as a free agent. It’s like a lot of anxiety happens during this moment. But I like to tell all the young players it’s just enjoyed the experience. Whether your name is called on the first day, the second day, the third day, whether your name never gets called, you get invited to the training camp. If you have an opportunity to sign with a team, it’s a blessing. And the goal is not just to make it to the NFL but it’s to have an impact in the NFL. So don’t allow the anxiety to steal this moment away from you, realize that this has always been a dream of yours since you were a kid, and accept it for what it is.
Chiefs Wire: Any advice for new dad Patrick Mahomes?
Devon: So the biggest game you can win in life is being a family, making sure that you’re there for your family, you put the same amount of effort, if not more, into being the leader in your household that you’re on the football field, and things will take care of itself, as I’m sure he knows, it gives you that added motivation, knowing that you’re not just playing for yourself anymore. You’re not just living life for you anymore. But a little person is looking up to you. They said the example where he has a daughter or son in the first example of what a man is. And we have to make sure that we set the best example possible for our kids when we become fathers, so I’m sure he already knows that because he’s a great leader. He knows how to lead that team. He led them to multiple Super Bowls, so I’m sure he knows a lot about being a father and a leader in his household.
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