JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fans watching the Jaguars game may have noticed a familiar face on the sidelines but not for the home team. Former Jags head coach Tom Coughlin made his second trip back to the River City since 2006 with his New York Giants.
During his time with the Jags, he left his mark on the franchise and the community. Coughlin's charitable foundation The Jay Fund had changed many lives.
For Chris Walker, moments where he can play with his daughter Natalie are priceless. Three years ago, she went from being healthy, to being diagnosed with Stage 3 Cancer. Walker and his wife decided to stop working to care for their daughter.
"I mean there was really no thought process behind doing it figure hey were going to lose everything and that's just the way it is but as long as we have her," said Walker.
Walker says The Jay Fund stepped in, paying the families mortgages and bills for three months while he and his wife watched Natalie go through treatment.
"You can't imagine what it's like to watch your daughter fight for her life and then on top of that still have to pay just basic bills. You're not even trying to do anything extravagant you're just trying to pay your mortgage and keep your house from foreclosing and these people to step up," said Walker.
He joined other families with similar stories to say thank you at a tailgate put on by The Jay Fund at Everbank Field.
The charity
was started by Coughlin, the Jaguars' first head coach and now head coach of the New York Giants, to help families battling childhood cancer.
"We're a really grass roots organization and we help families immediately while their going through a time of crisis so we build a relationship with them so it's wonderful when we have an opportunity to all connect," said Keli Coughlin-Joyce, executive director of The Jay Fund.
"They had a little party for us before and we got to make signs and my oldest daughter made him a sign that said thank you for saving my sisters life," said Walker.
The Walker family says it's forever grateful while celebrating life.