Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin are teaming up again. This time the former quarterback and head coach duo aren’t taking on Tom Brady and the Patriots, they are fighting a much more fearsome foe: childhood cancer. While Manning and the Giants vanquished the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl, the battle versus cancer continues to rage. And the former NY Giants stopped by this holiday season to give a lift to families who need it the most.
Manning and Coughlin surprised families at a grocery store just miles away from Metlife Stadium. The bigger surprise? The duo paid for everyone’s groceries. The families all had children that were diagnosed with cancer, and the event was a part of The Jay Fund, Coughlin’s charity that provides encouragement and emotional and financial support for families with children who have cancer.
“This can be a very difficult time of the year for these families — everywhere you look on TV, someone is celebrating or getting a gift,” Coughlin said. “We want families to enjoy the holiday season despite what they’re going through. Every family deserves to have a warm and safe home, and to put food on the table.”
This isn’t the first time quarterback Eli Manning has lined up under center against childhood cancers. He has been an ambassador for Hackensack Meridian’s Tackle Kids Cancer’ initiative. This is a worthwhile program tasked with generating funding to find a cure for childhood cancer. Manning has devoted much of his philanthropic efforts and energy into this cause.
“We’ve been having a blast with the families — so many smiles,” Manning said. “Having a child with cancer, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like, and the toll on the families. To have a day, in the holiday season, to have fun and just load up — obviously on the essentials, the things you need, but also all the cookies and cupcakes for the kids. Because these families deserve a little joy this holiday season.”
The average annual cost for a family to cover treatment for cancer of a child is around $200,000. The burden and stress of having a child diagnosed with this disease is hard enough, the financial component can easily bankrupt a family in their pursuit of remission. Organizations like the Joy Fund and Tackle Kids Cancer, combined with efforts by individuals like Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin, are doing tremendous work in generating financial support for these families that are in dire need.