NC State DC D.J. Eliot, family establish fundraiser to honor late daughter's fight with cancer

NC State defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot and his family established a fundraiser to benefit the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in honor of his late daughter, Drue, who died after a six-year battle with metastatic Ewing sarcoma.

The family’s fundraiser will impact the hospital’s the Oncology Nurse Navigator Program, in gratitude for Krista Quinn, RN, who was “Drue’s rock throughout her treatment.” The donation page is available HERE.

“Drue embraced all life had to offer and loved just being surrounded by her friends and family,” the family wrote on the fundraiser page. “She simply wanted nothing more than to be a normal teenager and lived her life that way.   It is impossible to measure how much she was loved by her parents, Miekel and DJ, her siblings, Reace, Page, and Dawson, and her large extended family.

“In memory of Drue, her family would like to honor the team who tirelessly fought by her side, in hopes that the path for others can be easier.”

Cape Cod with Drue. pic.twitter.com/ywrZgPX8Cz

— DJ Eliot (@CoachEliot) May 16, 2021

Drue was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in 2019 and fought through the diagnosis over the past six years. Eliot, a coaching veteran, first talked publicly about her diagnosis in 2020 during his time as Kansas’ defensive coordinator in 2020.

“I don’t even know how to explain the emotions or the thoughts that go through your mind,” Eliot told The Jayhawker podcast 2020. “It’s nothing that you ever expect to hear, and you don’t really have a plan for it. So when we got the news that Drue had cancer, we were devastated, all of us. And you really become a lot closer. Our family is definitely a lot closer now than we were because we’re all going through this together.”

Eliot continued to support Drue throughout the past six years before her passing this week. He is currently away from the program, while the family navigates the sudden news. Although Eliot wasn’t on the sideline during the Wolfpack’s 23-21 loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium, the defense played to honor Drue and the Eliot family.

“The kids did want to play well,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said postgame. “They care a lot about Coach Eliot. I think everybody’s heart hurts for him and his family. We wanted to bring them some levity to the situation that they’re dealing with, it’s tragic.”

While Eliot is away from the Wolfpack program, co-defensive coordinator Charlton Warren is serving as the play-caller, while assistant linebackers coach Isaiah Moore is coaching the position group.

You can learn more about the Eliot family’s fundraiser in honor of Drue and donate HERE.