It started with a Nerf football.

Hot pink and green. Small enough to get my hands around and light enough to heave it a respectable distance down the street and into my dad’s outstretched hands.

We all can remember the moment we were introduced to football.

My moment was playing catch with my dad.

A former high school safety, my dad was blessed with two daughters. Even more, he was blessed to have a clumsy, uncoordinated and accident-prone fourth grader who really just “wanted to keep up with the boys” during recess when they played football.

We’d spend hours throwing that Nerf football. Back and forth, back and forth – pausing only to let an oncoming car roll slowly past.

No matter how many times I dropped the ball and no matter how ugly my ball wiggled compared to his perfect spirals, my dad kept throwing and catching.

Back and forth, back and forth. After time, those games of catch slowed and eventually stopped as it sometimes does as kids get older and life moves faster.

To this day, I don’t think my dad will ever realize how much those simple games of catch meant to me. It was more than football and playing catch.

It was knowing that my hardworking dad still had the time and energy to ensure his little girl believed she had what it took to get out on the playground and “hang with the guys.”

A belief that he has instilled in me countless times as I’ve gotten older and one that keeps me motivated to this day.

Last fall, almost a month after my wedding, my dad was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Prompted by the #CHECKIT4ANDRETTI movement, my dad figured he was due for a general check-up.

It saved his life.

Flagging an abnormal result from his blood test, my dad’s doctor was able to diagnose and detect the cancer early on.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide, and when caught early, the chance of survival is high.

This November, the USA Football office participated in Movember, an annual month-long campaign focused on bringing awareness to men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

Aside from the gross amount of criminally bad facial hair that graced the hallways of our office, this was our opportunity to raise awareness and honor those of our own.

USA Football lost one of its most beloved employees – our late friend Dan Lawrence – in 2017 to testicular cancer. Dan was an extraordinarily talented videographer and graphic designer. Anyone who has seen our tackling materials has seen his work. His easy smile and kind, others-centered demeanor lives fervently in our hearts (we love and miss you, Dan).

USA Football employees – like many Americans – have experienced fathers and friends be diagnosed with illnesses associated with Movember. Fortunately, most of them have or are beating those diseases and are loved and cherished members of our families today.

As this month comes to a close, I urge you to check out the Movember website to become informed on men’s health issues. And if you were a participant this year, share your Movember ’staches with us on social media – @usafootball.

As for my dad, he is currently cancer-free and probably due for a much needed game of catch.