TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers participated in "Cause for Cleats" where player designs their cleats supporting a cause of their choice.
Bucs running back, Rachaad White unveiled his cleats to the family of a little girl who is suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a genetic disease affecting the central nervous system that impacts activities like breathing, eating, crawling, and walking.
6-year-old Emma has been living with the disease since she was six months old when she was diagnosed with Type 1 SMA. She was given a life expectancy of just two years old.
"It means the world to us. The advocacy for SMA is a huge thing," the father of the girl said. "Not a lot of people know about the disease our daughter has and for us to just get the message out about newborn screening and early awareness, like the sooner you know the better."
The family has been with the SMA community for six years.
"It's really exciting to see all of the advancements and be able to break the blood-to-brain barrier with some of the medications and learn way more about genetics," he added.
"The chemistry, the bond that we created over the past months just obviously meant a lot to me," White said.
White said by showing love, spreading positivity, and being there for them, he wants to show that he's there for the kids with SMA.
"To see her defeat all the odds, it meant a lot to me," White said.