DETROIT LIONS STAR TYLER LACY VISITS ACCESS THROUGH AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY AND
NFL’S ‘CRUCIAL CATCH’ INITIATIVE.
Visit during Breast Cancer Awareness Month highlights importance of cancer screening and
early detection.
DEARBORN, Mich. – Oct. 14, 2026 – Detroit Lions defensive tackle Tyler Lacy visited the ACCESS
Community Health and Research Center Tuesday as part of the American Cancer Society and
NFL’s Crucial Catch initiative, joining local high school football players and health care workers
to build care packages for breast cancer patients and raise awareness about the importance of
screening and early detection.
Lacy shared his childhood experiences watching his mother Veronica cope with breast cancer
after her diagnosis 20 years ago.
“I started realizing how serious it was once I started seeing my mom lose her hair, lose her
eyebrows, the stress level she was going through … taking me to and from practice, going to
work, cooking meals,” said Lacy, 26. “It really just inspired me. I’m thankful for Crucial Catch
and ACCESS, and to the NFL for letting me represent my mom on the field.”
Lacy wears custom cleats made in honor of his mother, who battled her way back to health
while caring for her family and nurturing his football career. “It just motivated me to be the
man I am today, seeing my mom going through her struggles and being able to bring it back to
the community is really an honor,” said Lacy, who joined the Lions in 2025.
Thanks to an American Cancer Society CHANGE Grant funded by the NFL’s Crucial Catch
initiative, ACCESS has expanded its community-based cancer prevention, outreach, education
and patient navigation efforts – helping make screening more accessible, reaching community
members where they are and connecting more people with lifesaving screenings and follow-up
care.
“For more than 55 years, ACCESS has worked to remove the barriers that prevent people and
families from getting the support they need,” said Mona Makki, Director of the ACCESS
Community Health and Research Center.
“And when it comes to cancer, we know that access to early detection and screening can quite
literally save lives. That is why we are so grateful for our partnership with the American Cancer
Society and the support of the NFL’s Crucial Catch initiative.
“In 2025, ACCESS’ Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program reached more than 1,500
women and helped drive a 30% increase in screening rates.”
For nearly three decades, cancer prevention, education and screening have been an important
part of ACCESS’s community health work. ACCESS works to overcome barriers including
language, transportation, cost, lack of awareness and navigating an increasingly complex health
care system.
Tameko Peeples, a breast cancer survivor who joined the Tuesday gathering with Lacy, first
walked into an ACCESS facility a decade ago at the recommendation of a friend.
“When I walked through the doors, I was welcomed, I was able to have a mammogram, and I
was also connected with medical insurance,” Peeples said.
ACCESS doctors and health care navigators guided her to oncologists and a safe space to ask
questions and carve a path to health.
Peeples said she’s been cancer-free for four years, but “this journey does not stop.”
“It is a forever, lifetime journey,” she said. “I want to live and I want to continue to tell my story
and make everyone understand the importance of early detection.”
Lacy toured the ACCESS facility to see firsthand how the organization is working to improve
cancer prevention and early detection in Southeast Michigan.
“I love the mobile access they have – the clinic on wheels, and the family atmosphere really
made me feel like this is the place,” Lacy said. “It just doesn’t affect the person with cancer, it
affects the whole village and the family that you’re with.”
He likened breast cancer awareness efforts to his Sunday battles on the gridiron.
“On the field, we have that common goal, and when I come out here, we still have that
common goal of telling the community, ‘Hey, get screened early.’ It could save your life,” Lacy
said. “I can attest to that because of my mom’s story, what she went through and what I went
through. It’s just an honor to be out here in the community and to be able to do that.”
Since 2012, the American Cancer Society and NFL’s Crucial Catch-supported projects have
helped deliver more than 1.1 million cancer screenings and reached a milestone of 2.7 million
people through education, patient navigation, screening reminders, and resources that reduce
barriers to care. In addition to educating fans about the importance of cancer screening, early
detection, and risk reduction, the initiative raises funds for CHANGE grants that help
community health centers and NFL-affiliated or in-market hospitals in under-resourced areas
increase access to cancer screening.
“Together, the NFL, the Detroit Lions, ACCESS and the American Cancer Society are helping
people get screened, detect cancer early and ultimately save lives,” said Abby Moler, Director
of the American Cancer Society’s Implementation Collaborative.
For more information or to schedule a cancer screening, please call 313-216-2230.
EVENT PHOTOS:
Photos from the event are available here: Full album, Curated album
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About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end
cancer as we know it, for everyone. For more than 110 years, we have been improving the lives
of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through
advocacy, research, and patient support. We are committed to ensuring everyone has an
opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
To learn more, visit cancer.org or call our 24/7 helpline at 1-800-227-2345. Connect with us
on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
About ACCESS
Founded in 1971 in Dearborn, Michigan, ACCESS is the most comprehensive Arab American
nonprofit organization in the nation, reaching millions across all backgrounds through its
programs, services and institutions. Our mission is to advance the health, economic, social, and
cultural well-being of communities regionally and nationwide.
We drive lasting impact through ACCESS and our national institutions: the Arab American
National Museum (AANM), the Center for Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP), the Center for
Arab Narratives (CAN), and the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC).
