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BEHIND THE STRIPES

Dani Cuevas

By Atlanta United FC

September 17^th, 2020

Standing tall, being strong and always attracting light are just a few things Dani Cuevas and sunflowers have in common.

The 14-year-old is the 2020 Atlanta United Unite & Conquer Cancer scarf designer. The Sharpsburg native was diagnosed over a year ago with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (ALL). She fights every day and approaches life with confidence and strength.

After attending the Unite & Conquer Cancer match in 2019, she saw last year’s designer Valerie DeSantigo’s scarf and wanted to design it this year, especially since she has a passion for drawing.

“I became an Atlanta United fan in 2019 because we went to the Unite & Conquer Cancer game,” Cuevas said with joy. “We were a part of the ribbon on the field and watched the game.”

Her family has been fans of the team since the 5-Stripes started. Cuevas’ family enjoys the game a lot. As her interest increased in the game, a special person helped her understand it more and more.

“It was my first time actually getting into soccer,” Cuevas shared. “My dad helped me understand it more.”

Her favorite 5-Stripe on the pitch is Josef Martinez.

“He got my attention,” Cuevas expressed. “He’s been my favorite since I started watching it.”

Outside of watching soccer, Cuevas spends time with her four brothers. They play hide-n-go-seek, sometimes video games together and watch movies with their parents. When she’s not with family, she’s usually drawing.

“I like to draw cartoon characters like Spongebob, and I really like Coraline,” Cuevas said with passion. “I like to draw characters and I also like to draw the skyline and the beach and scenery.”

One of the elements in Cuevas’ scarf is the skyline of Atlanta, which means a lot to her.

“I did the skyline because I like to look at the buildings on the way to the hospitals,” Cuevas reflected. “I like to see all the different buildings.”

Along with the buildings, she added some of her favorite colors below it and also sprinkled yellow ribbons for Unite & Conquer Cancer. A phrase written across the scarf is Atlanta Warriors— a special phrase for Cuevas.

“I put Atlanta Warriors on it because Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is my hospital and I’m fighting a hard battle,” Cuevas said with confidence. “I came up with Atlanta Warriors myself."

In the middle of the scarf in the middle of Atlanta Warriors, lies a beautiful, bright sunflower— which has significant meaning to Cuevas’ life.

“I did the sunflower because it’s my favorite flower because they stand tall and are strong,” Cuevas said with strength. “They always find light wherever they go.”

Cuevas chooses everyday to find the light as she’s conquering cancer. She not only seeks the light, but she attracts it, and it radiates off of her. She stands tall and continues to be an Atlanta Warrior.

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