Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals

4-year-old Leah Still waves to the crowd during a ceremony after the first quarter of the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. Leah has cancer and proceeds from the sales of her father's, defensive tackle Devon Still (75) jersey were donated to a area hospital. (Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer) Nov. 06, 2014, Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati

(Joshua Gunter)

CINCINNATI, Ohio – From feisty Lauren Hill to tiny Leah Still, cancer once again struck at the heart of a game in Cincinnati with Greater Cleveland looking on in sad-eyed appreciation Thursday.

Between the first and second quarters of Thursday's game against the visiting Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals presented a $1,349,582 million check to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for pediatric cancer research.

The check was in honor of four-year-old Leah Still, the cancer-stricken daughter of Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still. The money was from proceeds of sales of Still's No. 75 replica jersey, which is the 11th-best selling jersey in the NFL.

Leah Still watched the game from a suite Thursday and saw her father play for the first time since he was drafted by Cincinnati in 2012. She flew into town Wednesday night from Philadelphia, where she has been undergoing treatment for neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer that has left her with a 50-50 chance of survival. The Bengals permitted Still to meet his daughter at the airport after the team curfew.

"It was like a roller coaster of emotions,'' Devon Still said following the game, which the Browns won, 24-3. "Every time I was able to see my daughter -- in pre-game, or to see her come down on the field when they presented the check -- it was good emotions. But we definitely wanted to go out there and win that game. That would have been the cherry on top of everything.''

Leah was on the field during check presentation ceremony wearing a surgical mask to ward off the cold temperatures. She waved several times.

"She loves the camera. She thinks she's a movie star,'' Still said.

While the ceremony was taking place, her father was on the field waiting for the second quarter to begin, and Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer approached Still and spoke to him.

"I (said) that being a father myself, I can't imagine what he's gone through,'' Hoyer said after the game. "Reading the stories, it gets you choked up.

"I just went over and told him I respect the hell out of him, I pray for him and his daughter. From one father to another, I just (wanted) to show him how much I respect him and hope everything works out for the best.''

Leah had surgery to remove a tumor in her abdomen in September and faces radiation, chemotherapy and stem-cell treatments. She begins radiation treatment Tuesday in Philadelphia.

"I'm going to be spending a lot of time with her these next couple of days,'' Still said. "I'm extremely proud. I didn't know she had this in her You never think that your child would face a battle like this. The strength that my daughter has shown me, the courage that she has shown me is nothing short of inspirational.''

Before the game, Leah posed with Bengals cheerleaders, who posted photos on Twitter. She was wearing a custom-made Bengals cheerleading outfit, complete with a fluffy black skirt, orange bow and a glittery No. 75 on the front.

Leah's appearance was the second time in four days cancer has been at the center of a Cincinnati game.

It doesn't get any better than this..she fits right in http://t.co/WKbJ9DRjTh pic.twitter.com/va1vh2SXCD — Devon Still (@Dev_Still71) November 6, 2014

Still has worn "Leah Strong" on his eye-black strip this season, but with Leah's approval last Sunday, he replaced it with "Lauren Strong" in honor of Hill.

Hill watched the game alongside Leah Hill in a Bengals suite.

At the same time the Bengals were playing at home against Jacksonville, Hill was achieving her goal of playing in her first college basketball game for Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati. The game was against Hiram College, and Hill scored four points on layups in front of 10,250 fans, many of whom watched in tears, at the sold-out Cintas Center in Cincinnati.

Hill has received a terminal diagnosis for DIPG, a rare pediatric cancer, and her fight has received national attention. She learned Thursday she will be on the cover of a Wheaties cereal box.

Video of her first basket against Hiram was shown on the video board in Paul Brown Stadium during the Bengals game.

Still said it was difficult keeping his emotions in check during the game Sunday.

"I think the most emotional part for me was when I looked up and saw her next to Lauren Hill,'' he said.

In September, Still posted to his Instagram account a video of him giving a pre-surgery pep talk to Leah, who was riding in the back seat of his car.

"I'm going to ask you again," Still says to Leah in the video. "Are you ready for today? I'm ready for today."

She nods her head and Still adds, "You ready to get this cancer up out you?

"Let's do it. Fist bump."

Devon and Still pointed fist bumps toward the camera.