EAGAN, Minn. – Lindsey doesn't have many specific memories with her grandfather, but she lives daily by his legacy.
The same will likely be true for 8-year-old Skylar and her grandmother, Tina.
Lindsey, a rookie member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders, and Skylar, the oldest daughter of Vikings fullback C.J. Ham and a multi-year participant in the Vikings Junior Cheer program, connected this week beyond rehearsals for Sunday's pregame performance.
Lindsey was just 5 years old when her Grandpa Roger passed away in 2006, a mere two weeks after a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer that had spread to and overtaken his liver. In 2021, Skylar – almost 4 – lost her "Granny" to a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.
"I have very little recollection myself of him, but it's amazing how much his energy and spirit is so alive in our family," said Lindsey, who along with her cousins has a unique tattoo to honor her grandfather.
Similarly, Tina's loving character and faith-filled spirit live on in the Ham home, where Skylar and her younger siblings enjoy finding old photos of the beloved matriarch.
Asked about Tina, Skylar will tell you about her kind – and fun! – nature.
"She gave me lots of Cheeto puffs, and she snuggled me a lot," Skylar remembered. "And when I was little and didn't know how lipstick would go on, she would help me."
Lindsey for years has admired stories she hears about Roger, who owned and traveled with his own carnival, Hildebrand's Midway of Fun Shows.
"It's so unique. It's pretty wild that my mom and her twin sister grew up on the carnival," Lindsey said. "A trait of my grandpa's I've heard through family … is that he welcomed everybody in. A lot of times the people he hired would maybe have a negative past or weren't able to get work elsewhere. Grandpa would give them a space to work, a space to live and really took them in. He was willing to give a chance to anybody, and he was super loyal to the people he loved."
His trueness to self and sense of adventure has inspired Lindsey on several occasions. Whether auditioning for MVC after taking five years off from dance to pursue her computer science degree, or most recently pivoting from the corporate world to build her own business around mentorship, Lindsey leans into lessons gleaned from her grandfather's memory.
"He chased what he wanted to do, unconventional or not," she said.
Nineteen years separate Lindsey and Skylar. But on the U.S. Bank Stadium field among 500-plus MVC Junior cheerleaders and flag runners Sunday morning, they both are proud and excited to honor their late grandparents for the Vikings Crucial Catch game.
Lindsey especially is thankful for the opportunity to amplify messaging from the NFL and the American Cancer Society around cancer screening.
"When my grandpa's cancer was caught, it was too late," she said. "Which is why I'm such an advocate for getting early screenings … I'm amazed and so grateful that the technology continues to improve, too, so we can catch things earlier, have more treatments and have more options to even extend life after a diagnosis.
"In Grandpa's case, had it been caught earlier, there maybe would have been a way to change the outcome," Lindsey added. "Early screening saves lives. It's so important."
