When Kendra Wilson takes the field at Paycor Stadium to sing the national anthem before the Cincinnati Bengals’ Oct. 4 game, the moment will carry special meaning.

Wilson, manager of onboarding and transitions for Kettering Health Medical Group, is a cervical and uterine cancer survivor.

At age 28, her doctor followed up a routine well-woman visit with news that would change her life.

“She told me that I had grade 3 squamous cell carcinoma,” Wilson recalled.

Further testing confirmed cervical and uterine cancer. Wilson said the diagnosis was frightening.

“I was terrified,” she said.

Doctors recommended surgery and prepared Wilson for the possibility of additional treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation. Fortunately, the cancer had been contained.

“It was contained to my cervix and uterus,” Wilson said. “There was no need for any chemo or radiation therapy.”

Wilson continued regular follow-up appointments and testing for years before receiving the news she had hoped for.

“After five years, they cleared me and said that I could call myself cancer free,” she said.

For Wilson, singing the national anthem before the Bengals’ Oct. 4 game brings together several important parts of her life: cancer survivorship, a 23-year career at Kettering Health, a lifelong love of the Bengals and a passion for music that began in childhood.

Today, Wilson’s experience gives her a personal connection to the NFL’s Crucial Catch initiative, which promotes cancer awareness, early detection and prevention. Kettering Health and the Bengals support the initiative through education, outreach and efforts that encourage proactive care.

The anthem performance also gives Wilson an opportunity to represent an organization that has been central to her life for more than two decades.

Wilson joined Kettering Health in 2003 and has held roles in billing, operations, information systems and project management before moving into leadership. She credits mentors and leaders throughout the organization for helping shape her career.

“I’ve had some really fantastic leaders over the years who have challenged me and pushed me outside of my comfort zone to be the best version of myself,” Wilson said. “I’m so grateful. I’m a lifer.”

The opportunity carries additional meaning because of Wilson’s lifelong connection to the Bengals.

She credits her mother, a devoted Bengals fan, for passing along her love of Cincinnati sports.

“My mom is a diehard Bengals fan,” Wilson said. “The Bengals are our team.”

Her mother, who now lives in Nevada, plans to travel to Ohio for the game.

“For my mom, this is a dream come true,” Wilson said. “She is incredibly proud that her daughter has the honor of singing the national anthem at the Bengals game, the team she has loved and supported since 1968.”

Music has also been a constant throughout Wilson’s life.

Raised near Cincinnati in a musical family, she grew up singing in church and around relatives who regularly sang together.

“My uncles would all sing,” she said. “Every one of them sang. My grandma and grandpa sang. My cousins sang. When the family was together it was always very musical.”

She later performed with a country cover band and has spent years singing and leading worship in church settings. More than a decade ago, she also performed the national anthem during a Kettering Health employee event at what is now Day Air Ballpark.

“It’s such a huge honor to not only represent the team that you love and your country, but to represent the company that you’re so proud to work for,” she said. “That’s huge.”

As Oct. 4 approaches, Wilson plans to keep practicing and preparing for the moment.

“I think it’s more of an excited energy than a nervous energy,” she said, “because I feel so honored and so incredibly blessed.”