Ciara Reveals Russell Wilson Saved Teen With “12 Hours To Live” By Convincing Him To Stick With Treatment

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Celebrities oftentimes use their fame and notoriety for positive influence, but arguably nothing ranks above helping to save a life. Ciara recently opened up about a time her husband, Russell Wilson, convinced a teenager with leukemia to stick with his treatment, an act that wound up changing his story from coming to an end.

“You talk about being able to be a part of saving someone’s life essentially, right? It’s such a gift,” the “Lose Control” singer told Power 106 Los Angeles on Wednesday, Sept. 10. She shared the story of the New York Giants quarterback’s experience with Milton Wright, who had just half a day left to live at the time.

The singer said Wilson “convinced this kid” to stick with stem cell therapy, explaining, ”This kid did not want to try it. He had twelve hours left to live.”

In an effort to connect with the patient, Wilson opened up about losing his dad and how that has impacted his life. Ciara continued, “Russ went in and talked to him and convinced him, ‘Hey, kid,’ told him his story about losing his father, everything. Before you know it, the kid changed his mind, got up and was like, ‘I want to do it.’ Now fast forward to this kid is in the hospital telling other kids to try it.”

“It’s such a blessing and we’re just really big on encouraging people to have a ‘why not you’ attitude because we still have to tap into that ourselves. We know the power of that, right? Why not you? It’s real special to us, real near and dear to our hearts.”

Wilson’s father, Harrison, died in 2010 at age of 55 from diabetes complications.

The football player wrote about his side of the story in 2016 for The Player’s Tribune. He reflected on how his father had lost his ability to walk and see, but when doctors told him he had 24 hours left to live, “he kept on fighting for two more years.”

“I told Milton to keep fighting like my dad did,” Wilson wrote. Wright went into remission after his treatment.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 20: Russell Wilson and Ciara walk the blue carpet at JAY-Z’s Iconic The 40/40 Club in partnership with Fanatics Sportsbook at the center of Fanatics Fest NYC at Javits Center on June 20, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Fanatics)

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