Elliott takes valuable lesson from young cancer | Sports News

NASCAR star Chase Elliott has proven his class by persevering with his “DESI9N TO DRIVE” charity marketing campaign in support of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for a ninth yr, and the Hendrick Motorsports star says the initiative has taught him a lot about life.

Elliott’s basis has introduced that the 29-year-old’s No. 9 Chevy will carry a livery designed by 11-year-old cancer affected person Rhealynn Mills for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 28.

Mills was identified with metastatic osteosarcoma in 2022 and has since undergone 19 operations, together with the amputation of her proper leg. Her sickness got here to gentle after she suffered an damage enjoying softball.

Mills’ livery design was chosen from dozens of entries. Her sketch is impressed by her desires of turning into a nurse, with the messages “cure cancer” and “helping kids like me” that includes prominently.

The marketing campaign is not going to solely increase awareness of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s trigger, however it is going to additionally raise funds for the hospital’s Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, with virtually half a million {dollars} donated over the primary eight years of the initiative.

Prizes, together with items of Elliott’s uniform and a VIP meet and greet expertise, shall be up for grabs in a fundraising sweepstake.

“Every year, the DESI9N TO DRIVE program reminds me why I love what I do,” Georgia native Elliott mentioned in a press release. “These kids pour their hearts into their artwork, and getting to meet them and see their creativity up close is incredibly inspiring.

“Partnering with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and NAPA at my home track always makes this one of the most meaningful weekends of the season.”

In an interview with NBC Sports, Elliott added: “For [Rhealynn] to kind of exemplify and show the fight that she’s gone through and that attitude that she’s had throughout the process, I think, is really important.

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“Excited to have her and meet her and spend some time with her family, too. I’ve said this before, it’s not just her, the whole family and what they go through and deal with through the process, it’s a lot of weight on a lot of different people.”

Elliott says the DESI9N TO DRIVE marketing campaign has taught him a lot of classes. He mentioned: “I think one of the biggest ones I’ve taken is you just don’t really know what someone is going through when you walk past them on the street.

“I think that’s just a really important thing to remember. If people can take that away from some of this, you might see these people or family members or her and have no idea, right?

“Just showing them some respect and hopefully making their days better and giving them an experience they might not have, whether they’re race fans or not, I think, is a good thing. We’re just trying to help.”