MINNEAPOLIS –For one group of Vikings fans on Sunday, their celebration started long before the Vikings defeated the Texans 31-13.
More than 100 fans affected by breast cancer were recognized on the field prior to kickoff. Sporting pink shirts to highlight breast cancer awareness, the group filed onto the field of U.S. Bank Stadium and formed the shape of a cancer ribbon.
One cancer survivor involved in the program, Lori Kunz, said it was an extremely emotional experience.
"I felt a lot of excitement – it's just hard to explain," said Kunz. "It was overwhelming. I didn't only meet other survivors; I met daughters and sons of survivors. Everybody around me shared their story with each other.
"It was a little intimidating initially walking out, but once we saw the [response] from the crowd, it was exciting and very emotional," she added.
The moment was extra special for Kunz, who was in town from Arizona visiting her son, because she has such a unique story. Diagnosed in March 2015, Kunz was told she had inflammatory breast cancer, the rarest form of the disease. Less than two percent of all diagnosed cases of breast cancer is inflammatory, and less than 20 percent of all women diagnosed catch the cancer in time to defeat it.
After undergoing six months of heavy chemotherapy treatments, surgery and 30 radical radiation treatments, Kunz is now cancer-free.
"Everything I get to do, I look at things differently now," Kunz said.
The recognition of survivors and their families was accompanied by a special performance by singer and songwriter **Alessia Cara**, who in the past year scored two multi-platinum hits with "Wild Things" and "Here." The pop sensation performed her new song "Scars to Your Beautiful" from her debut album Know-it-All while the human breast cancer awareness ribbon formed on the field.
