Michael Smith: I got the chance to celebrate cancer survivors, their caregivers at the NFL’s Crucial Catch Program

Michael Smith, Administrative Director at Atrium Health, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Like many athletic kids, I dreamed of a career in professional sports. Like 99% of those kids, I never got a chance to live that dream. However, I get to live another dream every day.

The work I do allows me to work alongside the clinicians and staff of Levine Cancer as they provide care to our patients.

While I don’t get to directly impact patients, what I do advances our mission to improve health, elevate hope, and advance healing for all. Something I envisioned for myself whether I got to step foot in an athletic arena as a professional or not.

Those dreams collided this week when I got the chance to celebrate cancer survivors, their caregivers, and the care teams who helped them win their battle as part of the National Football League (NFL)’s Crucial Catch Program.

As I sat amongst those being celebrated in a place I once dreamed to be, I thought back to one of my favorite poems and the proverb it references. “What happens to a dream deferred?” For me, it’s blossomed into a tree of life.”