Chicago Bears defensive end Daniel Hardy was at Advocate Sherman Hospital Cancer Center in Elgin this week to give support, encouragement and gifts to patients and staff while getting a chance to learn a bit about those he came to see. Hardy took the time to talk with about a dozen patients, delivering a similar, soft-spoken message to each — they were a true inspiration and gave him a grounded perspective given all they were going through. Hardy said he volunteered to visit the center Tuesday as part of the Bears Care community outreach, in part because he lost his father to cancer and his mother successfully battled breast cancer. Kate Thommes, and her husband Jim, left, discuss the cold cap Kate is wearing with Chicago Bears defensive end Daniel Hardy during the football player’s visit to Advocate Sherman Hospital Cancer Center in Elgin. Thommes, a District U-46 School Board member, is being treated for breast cancer. (Advocate Health Care) “People who are fighting cancer are the strongest people,” he said. During his tour, he learned from Drs. Rachel Baer and Courtney Coke and other staff about the “cold cap” some patients are able to use to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy treatments. The cap works by temporarily reducing the amount of chemotherapy that gets into the scalp’s hair follicles, according to the Advocate Health Care website. One patient donning a cold cap was District U-46 School Board Vice President Kate Thommes, who was undergoing the third of four scheduled chemotherapy sessions to treat breast cancer. She and her husband, Jim, explained that the blue cap she was wearing is attached to a machine that has a coolant constantly flowing through it. Hardy presented Thommes and other patients with gift boxes from Bears Care and its charitable partner, Lemons of Love. Lemons of Love founder Jill Swanson was on hand to help deliver the boxes, which included a Bears hat and other swag. She started the nonprofit while being treated for colon cancer 10 years ago. After recieving a gift from a friend, she decided to make lemonade out of her situation by making gift boxes for other cancer patients. “I wound up accidentally starting a nonprofit,” Swanson said. Kyler Isabell-Nappier poses for a photo with Chicago Bears football player Daniel Hardy during a visit the defensive end made Tuesday to Advocate Sherman Hospital Cancer Center. Isabell-Nappier also was presented with a gift box from Bears Care and its charitable partner, Lemons of Love. (Advocate Health Care) The effort has led to more than 35,000 gift boxes being given so far to cancer patients living in all 50 states and 19 different countries. Hardy seemed to brighten the day for those he visited. “I feel like a celebrity,” said patient Fanny Navarette as hospital and Bears staff took photos of her with Hardy. After Hardy made his rounds, Bears Care director Marge Hamm presented the cancer center with a ceremonial $15,000 check representing the money they are donating to the hospital to help underwrite the cost of cold capping for underserved patients and expanding community outreach efforts. Those efforts will include educating women about breast health, screening recommendations and scheduling assistance for mammography appointments, a news release said. “You guys are the real heroes, helping people on the front lines every day,” Hardy told the staff prior to the check presentation. “What you do is way more important than what I do.” Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.