PITTSBURGH — Every gameday, before he takes the field, Pitt linebacker Brandon George writes the number 17 on his wrist tape in memory of his childhood friend and high school teammate Anthony Myers.
He was a person that never gave up,” said George. “A person that always found the bright light in things, that always wanted to leave an impact on the world in any way, shape or form that he could and he definitely left a large impact on a lot of people.”
At just 17 years old, Myers was diagnosed with stage 3 brain cancer
“You’re sitting there in shock, in awe,” said George. “Like there’s, like, there’s no way, like, I heard this happen to other people. But why? Like, why him. He’s such a great kid. Like, why him? Like, why is it happening to someone that I know?”
In his last game before starting treatment, the PIAA District 3 Class 4 A semifinal, Anthony scored two touchdowns, including an 80 yard punt return.
“I remember there were tears being shed on the sidelines, people jumping, hooting, hollering,” said George. “A playoff game that, it’s something out of a storybook.”
Myers died one year later, on December 4th, 2019.
“Once you step foot on the football field together with someone, you’re brothers for life,” said George. “So that’s definitely how I felt about him. He was my brother too.”
Ahead of this season, Brandon wanted to create his own fundraising campaign.
“I immediately knew that I wanted to help UPMC Children’s” said George. “I wanted to help oncology. I wanted to help families that are battling cancer in any way, shape or form that I could.”
And just like that, “B Cause” came to life as the Pitt senior teamed up with the Mother’s Hope Fund. It helps families at children’s hospital dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
“It funds gas cards, housing anything that a family would feel like they need while here at the hospital, because a lot of families are not working,” said Deanna Harris, a social worker at Children’s Hospital. “Mother’s Hope helps to fill those gaps.”
George wanted to directly impact the moments when families first arrive at the hospital and are trying to figure out what’s next.
“They’re llike ‘well, my child just got diagnosed with cancer, me and my wife are not going to be able to work. How are we going to eat here?’” said Harris. “When I tell them about Mother’s Hope, it’s the tears. It’s the tears that the parents start to cry.”
“I just want them to feel loved and cared for and have some of the burden taken away from whatever they’re dealing with,” said George. “That way, they can focus on the welfare of their child, they can focus on the welfare of their family, and overall, just, I hope, to sprinkle a little bit of joy in their lives as much as I can.”
He got to experience that joy firsthand visiting some of the oncology patients earlier this year.
“The feeling that you get from walking in and seeing somebody that should that has every reason to be down that day, but being as ecstatic as ever to see somebody,” said George. “We had one kid that was cracking jokes every two seconds. We had another kid that was playing video games and loved talking to us about video games, stuff like that, like seeing kids be kids and not have that worry on their mind,”
Easing the burden on others, while honoring the life of someone who meant so much to George.
“I’m just hoping that he’s looking down happy that I’m trying to make an impact in his name, and trying to make an impact on people’s lives.”
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