Watch above: While Anthony Allen fights for a job at the Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp, his father is fighting a different battle. Kim Thue speaks with Allen, who recently became the ambassador for the Bleed Green campaign.
SASKATOON – Earlier this off-season, Anthony Allen’s life took a dramatic turn off the field.
“My stepmom and my little sister hit me up and told me that my dad was going through some things,” Allen says.
“He just went for a checkup and they found that he had less protein in his blood that he should have. He went back and that’s when they diagnosed him with a type of leukemia.”
Allen admits that prior to his father’s diagnoses, the Tampa, Fla. product wasn’t all that familiar with the disease, its effects and the need for help.
“A good saying that I learned from the movie 42 is ‘suffering leads to awareness.’ Once I started going through it that’s when I became aware that this problem is all around the world,” said Allen.
“There are millions of people that need matches for the One Match program and there are not enough people in the registry. There are millions of people that need blood and there just isn’t enough blood.”
READ MORE: Bleed Green ambassador shares personal story about blood donation
The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Canadian Blood Services have teamed up to encourage fans across the province to donate blood during the football season, just recently launching the campaign for a sixth season.
Allen has taken it upon himself to help raise awareness by becoming the Riders “Bleed Green Ambassador.”
“I knew I couldn’t go back home. I knew there was nothing I could do to help him but try to show my support.”
So that’s what Allen did, showing support for his dad in his own way, hundreds of miles away.
“Being in Regina, I heard about the Bleed Green program and the One Match program. I wanted to be involved. I’m just so honoured to do this thing because it’s so close to me.”
“My dad, the guy who raised me, he sacrificed a lot for me in my life to get me where I am now and he’s going through this now.”
While Allen battles through two practices a day at Riders training camp in Saskatoon, his father continues his own battle at home, which puts life in perspective for the 26 year old.
“I have two kids. So he has two grandkids back at home and now their granddaddy is sick and I’m here in another country so they don’t get to see dad,” Allen says, doing his best to control his emotions.
“It’s just hard. It’s hard to be able to be there for them and be there for him just knowing he’s going through that.”
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