Elliott's success has special meaning for one fan battling cancer

Every time Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott signals a first down after a run, something he did plenty in his supremely successful rookie season, a teenage fan in Massachusetts gets a glimpse of something special.

Halle Silver told The Washington Post's Cindy Boren she contacted Elliott in hopes of doing something special for her older brother, an Ohio State fan, as he battled cancer.

The teenager reached out to several Buckeyes players to ask if they would wear an orange bracelet stamped with "Silver Strong" to support her brother Jake.

On July 24, she tapped out an Instagram direct message detailing her brother’s condition and sent it to Elliott, Cardale Jones and other players from Ohio State. The next morning, up popped a reply from Elliott’s handle. “I want one of those bands !!” And then another: “Send me a bunch I’ll wear it all season.”

Stunned, she typed back, “Is this actually u?”

“I think I’m real,” Elliott responded.

“I cried my eyes out,” she recalled.

The orange bracelet can be spotted on Elliott's wrist during games. He says he won't take it off all season.

This week, just before the Cowboys’ first playoff game Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, Silver’s treatment is concluding but remains a struggle, even with a party to look forward to coinciding with Sunday’s showdown. Last Friday, Silver got another lift when Elliott messaged him on social media. “What up bro,” Elliott wrote while sharing an image of the bracelet on his wrist. “Been thinking about you. Hope all is well. Been rockin my SILVER STRONG band everyday.”