A Flushing, Michigan man is running 313 miles from Lambeau Field in Green Bay to Ford Field in Detroit, carrying a Detroit Lions game ball the entire way and raising money for cancer patients after his wife's own diagnosis upended their lives. Cody DeLorenzo, 32, had covered about 135 miles and was just outside Grand Rapids with 178 miles left to go, according to the most recent update on his progress.
DeLorenzo's effort is raising money for Game On Cancer, a Henry Ford Health initiative that helps cancer patients cover expenses beyond the cost of treatment itself, as reported by MLive. His wife, Shannon DeLorenzo, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2025, which is what pushed him to take on the challenge in the first place, according to WBAY. As of his most recent update, DeLorenzo had raised more than $21,000 toward a $50,000 goal.
A Diagnosis That Followed a Clear Mammogram
Shannon's path to diagnosis wasn't straightforward. An MRI turned up a concerning finding even after a clear mammogram, and a biopsy later confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma, the same MLive report notes. She underwent a left mastectomy on Oct. 1, 2025, followed by radiation after doctors found cancer in her lymph nodes.
DeLorenzo is making the run before the Detroit Lions face the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 25, with plans to deliver the game ball before kickoff, per the same account. The Lions themselves have highlighted his mission, with a team video stating he would run from Lambeau Field to Ford Field to deliver the Week 7 game ball while raising early-detection awareness and funds for Game On Cancer, according to the Detroit Lions.
What Game On Cancer Actually Covers
Game On Cancer funding goes toward essentials like housing, food, utility bills and transportation to appointments, in addition to supportive therapies and research, according to Henry Ford Health's own description of the program on henryford.com. Those kinds of costs can quietly pile up for patients already managing the physical toll of treatment, and the financial strain is well documented beyond just this one family's story. Nearly 60% of working-age cancer survivors report at least one type of financial hardship, including difficulty affording medical bills or delaying needed care because of cost, according to a study highlighted by the American Cancer Society. A separate ACS CAN study found that 74% of cancer patients and survivors said they were forced to miss work because of their illness.
Figures on how much Game On Cancer has raised overall vary depending on the source. MLive reported the program has raised more than $10.8 million and supported more than 12,000 patients and families since it began, while Henry Ford Health's own program page states the total raised is over $9.7 million.
'The Most Average You Can Get'
DeLorenzo has been candid about not being a natural-born endurance athlete. “I am the most average you can get. So if you have a dream or you want to do something or you want to push yourself to the limits, it is possible,” he told WBAY ahead of the run. That framing matters to the story he's trying to tell: that an ordinary guy from Flushing can put one foot in front of the other for 313 miles if the cause is big enough.
The run is planned as a nine-day effort, ending at Ford Field with the ball in hand ahead of a Lions-Packers matchup that will carry extra weight for a family that has spent the last year navigating a cancer diagnosis together.
