JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Josh Hines-Allen’s world stopped last January, and it had nothing to do with football.
It was his family.
Last week, Hines-Allen and his wife, Kaitlyn, revealed their family’s struggle with cancer after their 7-year-old son, Wesley, was diagnosed with leukemia at the beginning of the year. After a six months of treatment, the positive news is that Wesley has been declared in remission by doctors. He will get to ring the bell at Nemours next month after underdoing his final treatment.
The journey has been one of the most jarring and rewarding periods of their lives.
Hines-Allen said on Sunday morning after Jacksonville’s fourth training camp practice that he wanted to make their situation public because so many families are affected by the disease. And many don’t have the support (emotional, financial, physical) to stare down something as insidious as cancer. He and Kaitlyn are doing something about that.
“We wanted to make sure that he was in a good position for us to speak about it, because I know once the word gets out that he’s in remission, it’s going to be more uplifting, more positive,” Hines-Allen said.
This season, Hines-Allen’s foundation, Four One For Hope, will give back and invest in four cancer-focused nonprofit organizations, one in each month of the NFL season. It’s something that Josh and Kaitlyn are both personally invested in after their journey.
“That a lot of people go through it. A lot of people that you may not know in your daily life has had some type of cancer at a young age or probably getting it now,” Hines-Allen said. “That you can always be there to support them, care for them, give them love because I think that’s really the main focus on people that’s going through that. They have people that can help support them and give them love.”
Organizations Hines-Allen is supporting
- Nemours Children’s Health (September)
- American Cancer Society (October)
- National Pediatric Cancer Foundation (December)
With the Jaguars mired in a miserable season in 2024, Hines-Allen skipped the season finale as the team limped to a 4-13 finish. No one knew at the time why Hines-Allen missed the final game, only that he was given the week off by former coach Doug Pederson.
Privately, it was during that time when Josh and Kaitlyn were told that their oldest son had acute promyelocytic leukemia. Hines-Allen said the immediate mission was to get Wesley into treatment and figure out a plan of attack. That coincided with Jacksonville’s offseason, something Hines-Allen said he was grateful for. It allowed him to disconnect from work and be a dad full time. Wesley’s treatment lasted six months, and he will undergo his final one next month.
Training camp content
Full interview: Jaguars OF Grant Udinski | Full interview: Josh Hines-Allen | Full interview: Bhayshul Tuten | News4JAGs podcast from Sunday: Big day for Travis Hunter, bounce back day for offense | Sights and sounds from Sunday’s practice | Photo gallery: Jaguars host high school football athletes Sunday | Photo gallery: Scenes from Sunday’s camp practice | Sunday notebook: Travis Hunter shines on defense
“What kind of settled my mind, obviously it’s scary to think about, but when they talked about the type of cancer that he did have, it was a six-month treatment phase,” Hines-Allen said.
“And so, when I thought about six months, like six months, it’s a long time but it’s not twelve months or it’s not two years. It’s not three years which families do have to go through as well. So knowing that he had that cancer, it’s kind of like alright, we’re going to get through this. We’re going to get through this.”
Allen enters this season only two sacks away from the franchise record (Tony Brackens leads with 55) and is expected to thrive in defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s system. He said his goal every year is not a franchise record but an NFL mark.
“Twenty-three sacks. That’s the NFL record,” he said. “I think all pass rushers should strive for that goal like every team strives to win a Super Bowl. So, I think my goal is to break the record and not really focus on it.”
