Toughest challenge was off the field

Former Stanford University linebacker Chris Draft played for seven teams, battling opponents in stadiums across the country, but it was off the field where Draft would face his toughest challenge.

Draft fell in love with Keisha Rutledge, a runner and dancer.

At first, Draft says Rutledge wasn’t as sure as he was that she was the one, laughingly recalling, “She said, ‘I don’t know about you football players.'”

But Rutledge would fall in love, too and for five years, Draft and Rutledge were inseparable.A mass in her left lung

Five years later, in 2011, a moment came that would forever change the direction of Chris Draft’s life.

“She started having shortness of breath,”  Draft recalled of the first signs that something was wrong.

“She went in to her primary care doc and he said, ‘let’s just get a chest X-ray.'”

The X-ray would show an image that would stun the doctors, Rutledge, and Draft.

Raising his eyebrows, recalling that awful moment, Draft recalled seeing it–

“A mass in her left lung.”

Rutledge, who had never smoked, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer.Woefully inadequate

“People don’t know it can happen to anyone. It was made painfully clear that it can happen to anyone. It can happen to a 37-year-old woman who was in amazing shape.” Draft said, calling it the ultimate fight.

But as Draft soon learned, research and treatments for lung cancer were woefully inadequate, running far behind other cancers that were being effectively treated.Losing the fight, gaining a wife

Within months of Rutledge’s diagnosis it became clear that she was losing her fight against lung cancer.

A month before she passed away, in November of 2011 Keisha became Lakeasha Monique Rutledge Draft, in a formal and touching wedding ceremony.“What if we don’t get past this?”

“Before we were married, she (Keisha) came to me and she said, ‘what if we don’t get past this? What if we ask people to support this foundation and support this fight against cancer?'”

That question and the donations were the start of a foundation called “Team Draft” dedicated to change the face of lung cancer, raising money to give people a fighting chance.

“Even when she was struggling,she still cared about other people,” Draft said. “That’s what this is about.”Team Draft and Breath of Hope

And so, Chris and Team Draft came to Columbus to meet the people battling lung cancer here in Central Ohio and join forces with Breath of Hope.

“We need more money to support our survivors diagnosed right now because we want them to live,” Draft proclaimed.

Breath of Hope raises money for research at OSU’s James Cancer Hospital, and now Team Draft is ready to help.

Chris Draft has agreed to be the Keynote Speaker for the Breath of Hope Gala that will be held on March 12th  at L. Brands offices in Columbus.For tickets: https://breathofhopeohio.com/fundraisers.html

The reason Draft, an NFL star linebacker from California, is now here to help Central Ohio, he says, is simple.

“We can’t do it without the tremendous work that’s happening at The James.   We can’t do without the tremendous survivors who are willing to stand up.”

And here in Columbus, Draft is finding plenty of both.