Packers Cancer Initiative Has Special Meaning for Kicker Mason Crosby

Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby saw his grandmother pass away from breast cancer and his sister-in-law currently fighting ovarian cancer. To say the team's annual "Packers vs. Cancer Campaign," is important to Crosby is an understatement.

Yet, this year, it's much more impactful for Crosby. This summer, Crosby's wife, Molly, was diagnosed with a carcinoid endocrine tumor in her lung.

“The prognosis ended up being the best possible thing. She doesn’t have to do chemo or radiation,” said Crosby following Tuesday’s news conference to announce the 2019 Packers vs. Cancer initiative, via Packers.com. “We felt fortunate and felt like we caught it at the right time. It wasn’t like a threat to spread throughout. They were able to isolate it and take it out, and we’re in recovery now.”

The findings by doctors were intriguing, considering Molly never smoked. Doctors told the Crosby family that the tumor has become more prevalent in females between the age of 22-35. Molly was set to undergo surgery prior to the start of training camp, but the emergence of a blood clot delayed the procedure.

So, Crosby had to go through training camp, compete with Sam Ficken for the starting kicker job, with his wife's well-being on his mind.

The surgery was completed a day after the team's preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, where the tumor was successfully removed.

Crosby and his wife will look to raise awareness for screenings and regular checkups. The team will sell "Packers vs. Cancer" knit hats, with $5 of every purchase going to the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation.