Devon Still was the last of 10 speakers at Penn State’s 10th annual TEDx Conference in Schwab Auditorium on Sunday afternoon. The former Penn State football defensive tackle closed out the conference with his talk entitled “How To Become Unbreakable.”

The Nittany Lion explained to those in attendance that every challenge they ever faced was preparing them for one greater purpose. Still understood this lesson as clearly as ever on June 2, 2014, when his four-year old daughter, Leah, was diagnosed with stage four Neuroblastoma cancer.

Still grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and was a standout football player. He received nearly 50 scholarship offers to Division I college football programs, but eventually chose Penn State and arrived on campus in 2007.

He became a force on the defensive line during his first training camp, but he explained that things changed quickly.

“Just when I finally made it out [of Wilmington], when I thought my life would now be a breeze, I faced two obstacles that jeopardized my college career before it even began,” Still said.

During his breakout campaign, Still tore both his ACL and MCL. The freshman was forced to sit out and rehab during his first season in Happy Valley. After the derailing injury, Still suffered an even worse setback that next spring when his leg was snapped at a scrimmage. He was rushed to the hospital where he got 10 screws in his leg. Still was forced to endure yet another full season of extensive rehabilitation, and spent another year away from the field.

Despite all of that, he managed to become a dominant defensive end for Penn State. During his senior season in 2011, Still became a team captain, was selected as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and became an All-American. After a fantastic career in Happy Valley, the defensive tackle was drafted to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 53rd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

“After two years of hell, I finally got my chance to play in front of 110,000 screaming fans in Beaver Stadium,” he said. “I became one of the best players in college football during my senior season. All of my problems were behind me, so I thought.”

Injuries followed Still into his pro career in Cincinnati. He described his second season in the NFL as, “one of the hardest years of my life.” He suffered a dislocated elbow, blew out his back, and was even rushed to the hospital due to life-threatening blood clots in his lungs within a several-week span.

After a brutal season of health issues, Still’s wife suggested that he develop a stronger relationship with God. He decided to take her advice and started to make religion a bigger part of his life. The Nittany Lion described finding a new-found confidence and security, explaining that he felt, “as good as bullet-proof.”

That feeling quickly disappeared, though, when Still was told that his daughter had cancer, and was facing roughly a 50% chance of survival. Suddenly, Still realized that the many uphill battles he was forced to climb throughout his life had prepared him for the biggest challenge yet. After the initial shock and terror of considering what Leah faced, the Nittany Lion knew he needed to step up for her in every way possible.

“My four-year old daughter was depending on me to develop a game plan to help save her life,” Still said.

So that’s exactly what Still did, as he entered Leah’s hospital room with a five-step playbook for beating cancer. In the game plan, the five steps were:

1. Believe!!
2. Give your battle a purpose
3. Put on your game face
4. Have fun
5. Fight for four quarters

Still used the perseverance he developed during his football career to inspire his daughter to never give up her fight. In helping Leah believe, he even bought her a shirt at the beginning of her chemotherapy that read “Future Cancer Survivor.”

He also explained that Leah got a 21-day break in between each session of chemotherapy, but before each one started up again, he’d remind her to put on her game face. Little moments of resiliency such as that one were key for Still and his daughter to keep a positive mindset through such a trying time.

In November 2015, it was officially announced that Leah was cancer free. Today, she and her father are widely-known as two of the faces of the battle against cancer. Toward the end of his presentation, Still reminded those in attendance that resiliency can be found within anyone.

“For decades researches believed resiliency couldn’t be taught or developed,” Still said. “I’m here today to tell you that’s not true. Resiliency can be developed through pain and suffering, it’s something we can all have.”