ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A breast cancer survivor threw out the first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game over the weekend before her NFL Hall of Fame brother surprised her with flowers.
Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith appeared from the dugout with flowers for his older sister Marsha Smith-Hill at Tropicana Field on Saturday.
“It looked like it went pretty well,” Smith said. “My sister Marsha didn’t have a clue that we’d be at the game.”
Smith-Hill, who is from Tallahassee, Fla., threw out the first pitch as part of the Moffitt Cancer Center’s Salute to Survivors. She received treatment for her cancer at Moffitt, underwent a double mastectomy and has been in remission for five years.
“She just had the right attitude, the right spirit going into it,” Smith said of his sister’s battle with cancer. “She was determined she was going to beat it.
“She tried to create every positive emotion that you could possibly imagine to help will herself through all the things she had to go through.”
Smith-Hill said her first visit to the Moffitt Cancer Center was "like going to Disney World."
"I had some wonderful angels at Moffitt Cancer that really, really made that journey a little less hard," Smith-Hill said.
Smith-Hill also called Dr. Roohi Ismail-Khan “an awesome doctor.”
Smith said he flew from his home in Dallas to Clearwater, Fla., with his wife on Wednesday. He decided to surprise his sister at the Rays game after a few days on the beach.
“Thanks @RaysBaseball for honoring my sister! It was a special day at the ball field! #BeatCancer,” Smith tweeted early Sunday.
The Rays also presented the two siblings custom jerseys.
Thanks @RaysBaseball for honoring my sister! It was a special day at the ball field! #BeatCancer https://t.co/E0RjfZ7Wff
— Emmitt Smith (@EmmittSmith22) June 25, 2017
Marsha Smith-Hill beat cancer.
Today we surprised her with her brother @EmmittSmith22! pic.twitter.com/iSrUb2s8eu
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 24, 2017