The Ickey Shuffle – Ickey Woods & Asthma Awareness

Being an Ohio native, though admittedly not a big Bengals fan, I found the recent Geico ad featuring Ickey Woods hilarious. I watched Woods run the ball for years with the Bengals, but seeing him do his ‘Ickey Shuffle’ then spike a package of cold cuts at the deli counter cracked me up. Though humorous, the ad has given Woods a new avenue to promote a cause that effected him very personally – asthma.

The Jovante Woods Foundation - Ickey Wood & AsthmaIn 2010 his son, Jovante, died of a severe asthma attack. This even permanently linked Ickey Woods & asthma. A student athlete who was just 16 years old at the time, Jovante had been diagnosed with asthma at the age of two. In honor of his son, Woods started the Jovante Woods Foundation based on three things that came to define his son. In addition to asthma awareness, the other two keys of the foundation are organ donation and education. Unaware at the time, Jovante had actually signed up to be an organ donor, which at the time of his passing helped to save the lives of others. And, while he played football like his father, Jovante was also an A student, maintaining a 3.8 GPA in high school.

Asthma affects roughly 25 million Americans and causes nearly two million visits to emergency rooms across the country each year. While mortality rates remain relatively low, about ten people per day die from asthma attacks. What is likely most troubling is that, according to the Center for Disease Control, asthma rates have been trending up, from affecting 1:14 in 2001 to 1:12 in 2009.

Though asthma can be managed, there are a variety of factors that can effect asthma outcomes, from environmental issues and exercise to proper prescriptions and avoidance of triggers. For many, WellaPets - Asthma Education App for Kidseducation remains a key factor, which is why things like the Woods Foundation and another initiatives (even apps/games like the WellaPets we mentioned a while ago) remain important. In an interview with a local ABC affiliate in Woods’ hometown of Fresno, he mentions one thing that he ‘didn’t know is that asthma could kill.’ He’s not alone. When it comes to asthma so many of us have a similar mindset, in that asthma has become so common, we can sometimes lose sight of just how powerful it can be.

Ickey Woods’ NFL career was cut short because of injury, but he continues to use that brief time in his life to promote a cause that effects millions across the country. Woods was ecstatic to have his number called (number 44) at the deli counter, but he was still wearing his old Bengals number on his t-shirt, #30.

For more information on the Jovante Wood Foundation. If you’ve got a Bengals or Ickey Woods fan in the family, you can pick up some autographed Bengals swag, and the money goes towards the scholarships that the foundation funds as well as asthma research and organ donation.

Watch Ickey Shuffle at the Deli Counter

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