FRISCO, Texas — At Tuesday morning's FC Dallas practice, a special fan stood quietly on the sidelines, smiling ear to ear.
His name is Erik Tillisch, and he had a special delivery for midfielder Paul Arriola in his hand.
"I'm very grateful," Tillisch told WFAA.
Tillisch was diagnosed with breast cancer in August.
"I was floored, my brain couldn’t comprehend anything else," he said of receiving his diagnosis.
"I’m not ready to die, that’s what went through my mind. And [I've] got to fight."
Tillisch decided he'd fight his hardest with something to inspire him throughout his treatment. Specifically, Paul Arriola's "F**k Cancer" T-shirt, which Arriola wears under his jersey to honor his mother-in-law battling cancer and his late grandfather who fought it too.
So, Tillisch bought some posterboard and pens, made a sign and showed up to a game.
"Hi Paul," it read.
"I start Chemo Wednesday. Can I get your cancer shirt?"
Arriola didn't hesitate. He ran right over to Tillisch and gave it away in October.
"Every time I had an IV, every time I had chemo treatment, I found inspiration in that shirt," Tillisch told WFAA.
A few months later now, Tillisch has completed chemotherapy and has just a few more radiation treatments left.
So, on Tuesday morning, he came to practice to give that shirt back to Arriola so that the FC Dallas player can give it to whoever needs in next.
"It’s special," Arriola told WFAA.
"I didn’t think this shirt would make the impact it did."
Arriola said he hopes whoever gets the shirt next sees it as a sign they've got an army fighting cancer with them.
"Let them know that they’re not alone," he said.
Tillisch also hopes his story resonates with men, who might assume they don't need to worry about breast cancer.
"I want men to understand it can happen to you. You’ve got to pay attention to what's going on your body," he said.
"Get it caught early. Get checked. If something doesn’t feel right go to your doctor."
Tillisch will be back at Toyota on Saturday to cheer on Arriola and his teammates. Once his radiation is complete, he plans to head to Disney with his family to celebrate the end of his treatment.