Advocate Sherman Hospital Patient Honored at Chicago Bears Game

CHICAGO – Ten Advocate Health Care breast cancer patients, their family members and care teams from across Illinois were honored and celebrated Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Chicago Bears Crucial Catch game at Soldier Field.

Patients took to the field before the game to watch the game and Dr. Neil Dalal, a hematologist oncologist at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, presented the game coin. During halftime, a special bell-ringing ceremony was held for two survivors who recently completed their treatments.

Among those honored were Carmen Rojas and Bobbie Jackson, who received treatment at Advocate Sherman Hospital. Carmen was 16 months pregnant with her son when she spotted a lump on her breast. When she was 18 weeks pregnant, she had it looked at by a doctor and was quickly diagnosed with breast cancer. Through pregnancy, she started chemotherapy and cancer treatment, without being able to take pain medications. She delivered a healthy baby who is now four years old and doing well. She just hit the five-year cancer free mark and is also doing very well.

Bobbie also attended a special event at Halas Hall the Friday before the game. She visited the Bears' practice facility ahead of Sunday's game to watch her favorite team practice from the sidelines. After practice, Bears tight end, Marcedes Lewis, presented Bobbie with his practice jersey, which featured a pink Advocate Health Care patch in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Bobbie was diagnosed with breast cancer twice. She said she doesn't remember much about her cancer diagnoses because it felt like she was living in someone else's body.

Bobbie thanks her family for helping through these life-changing times. When she was diagnosed the first time in 2018, she said it was devastating, but manageable thanks to her family's support. But when she received the devastating news again in 2022, this time was much harder because her son died less than a year before.

"It was hell," she said.

She is still continuing with checkups and has a port, but is hopeful cancer free and able to get the port removed soon.

The game was meant to be a tribute to honor breast cancer survivors and fighters and raise awareness for the disease that develops in one in eight women during her lifetime.