Eagles’ Kelee Ringo and his mother partner with women’s health company to spread breast cancer awareness
Ringo's mother, Tralee Hale, is a breast cancer survivor. The Eagles rookie wants to help others survive as well.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/UUZ47PTO7ZB4VG7FH7YMJOMYG4.jpg)
NEWARK, Del. — The month of October holds a special place in the hearts of Eagles rookie defensive back Kelee Ringo and his mother, Tralee Hale, because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Three years ago, shortly after Ringo left home to begin his collegiate career at Georgia, Hale received a diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer, a rare form that accounts for 10% to 15% of breast cancer diagnoses and affects minority women between the ages of 30 and 40.
After chemotherapy treatments, Hale was declared cancer free in March 2022. Now, through their joint foundation, Ringo and Hale are spreading awareness about the importance of annual breast cancer screenings.
The Tralee and Kelee Ringo Family Foundation entered a partnership with Hologic in May, shortly after Ringo was drafted by the Eagles. Hologic is a company focused on women’s health by being a world leader in mammogram technology. It has nearly 7,000 Hologic 3D mammography systems in use across the United States.
“Everything that is unfolding before my eyes, I’m just so humbled to be a part of it, I’m just excited,” Hale said after touring the Delaware facility. “I’m wanting it to go as far as we can go with it, I want to bring awareness to women. ... I’m excited to begin to get that message out there.”
Ringo said: “It means everything to me that I’m just able to support a cause like this, as well as my mother, and the people that went through the things that my mother has.”
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts’ scramble rate is at a career low, but the Eagles just want to keep him upright
Through this partnership, Ringo and Hale made a public appearance at Hologic’s campus on Tuesday afternoon to kick off breast cancer awareness month. It included a tour of the facility to showcase its mammography manufacturing technology.
The tour was led by Brian Brooks, senior director of operations, and Erik Anderson, president of Breast and Skeletal Health Solutions. They described the renovations taking place throughout the building, culminating in a meet and greet with employees. Anderson, speaking on behalf of Hologic, said the collaboration between the company and the Ringo family is a “special partnership.”
“I think it was a match made in heaven with this story and this young man to have the maturity at 20 years old to be thinking about partnerships like this as he’s getting drafted in the NFL,” Anderson said. “It speaks to his character, the bond that they have, and what they went through. More lives need to be saved.”
» READ MORE: Eagles downplay Dallas Goedert’s slow start
At several points during the tour, Hale held back tears, thinking about the lump in her breast she felt nine months before her diagnosis. During her brief speech outside, speaking to Hologic employees, Hale expressed her vulnerability in not putting herself first as a single mother, while challenging the women in the audience to stay up to date with their mammograms.
Ringo said he wanted to support not just his mother but others battling breast cancer, in the foundation’s pursuit to “creating accessibility and allowing women to get screening done at an earlier age.”
“It honestly brightens my day ... to help people [that] go through those types of things or cancer,” Ringo said. “To be able to use my platform, to be able to help the best way that I can, no matter what it is, I’m showing up to events, I’m donating.”