Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott played an unexpected role in saving the life of team executive Tad Carper.
The connection came through Prescott‘s commitment to cancer awareness, something close to his heart after losing his mother to colon cancer in 2013.
Carper, the Cowboys‘ Senior Vice President of Communications since 2022, was diagnosed with Stage 2 throat cancer last year.
After surgery in October and two months of radiation, he is now in full remission, with doctors saying the risk of recurrence is low.
The chain of events started at Prescott‘s “Faith. Fight. Finish.” foundation gala in spring 2024. The quarterback’s work to promote cancer research inspired then-Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy to explore early cancer screening. McCarthy later decided to include screenings in the coaches’ annual physicals.
A simple test becomes life-saving
Prescott invited Carper to take part in one of the screenings. “It’s 7am one morning, and what else am I doing? I said, ‘Sure, that’d be great. Thanks,'” Carper recalled. He completed the test without giving it much thought.
Two weeks later, Carper received a call that changed his life: the results were positive for head or neck cancer. “The rest of the day after that call was a bit surreal. Everything slowed down,” he said.
Carper admitted he likely would not have undergone the screening without Prescott‘s invitation. When he shared the results, Prescott offered immediate reassurance. “Before I could get another word out of my mouth, we hugged it out and his first response was, ‘We got it. I know we got it,'” Carper said.
Doctors noted that waiting even a couple of months could have resulted in a much more serious situation.
Carper reflected on the experience: “God’s plan for me to come to Texas. God’s plan for me to work for the Cowboys with Dak Prescott leading to that moment. And that’s what happened.”
For Prescott, the moment reinforced the importance of his foundation’s mission.
“I don’t know if it’s something I could ever really put into words. To just play a part in it is more than enough,” he said.
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