In addition to her loyalty to the Bears, Currans was selected as the team's candidate because of her commitment to supporting cancer patients. In October 2013, Currans was diagnosed with breast cancer, and when she reached five years cancer-free in 2019, she hosted a fundraising party for a local hospital where she was being treated.
What started as a small way to celebrate her recovery and give back to others has grown into an annual fundraiser called Mac Attack. over the past five years, Currans has raised over $77,000 to financially support additional needs of cancer patients such as meals and transportation.
“During my treatment, I realized that you sit in chemotherapy for long days and the doctors give you food,” Currans said. “But patients, if you don’t have anyone with you during chemotherapy, who is going to get you food? That’s where it started – recognizing that patients need other help.”
“Especially in the year of the pandemic, we noticed that some people needed rides. One day the hospital brought someone home from chemotherapy and discovered that the patient had sold everything they owned to pay for the chemotherapy. So we bought the person a bed.” So we're just a third-party event for [a local hospital]but it's a lot of fun. We enjoy hosting the party and raising awareness.”
Currans is honored that her involvement in the community has earned her the Fan of the Year award. The NFL's annual celebration recognizes the extraordinary fans who enrich game day with their unwavering love of the game, embodying the essence of true fandom and inspiring their community year-round.
“I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason,” Currans said. “I feel like getting cancer was a good thing because, firstly, I was a workaholic before, so it forced me to live. But then it forced me to just be a better person because I was like, 'How.' Can I help other people have a good experience?' I always wanted to try to make people smile and do something good for others. There is too much negativity in this world.