On Wednesday, the Arizona Cardinals official Twitter account announced that Iris Holland Wilcox, mother of defensive end Nick Eason, passed away. If you kept up with Nick's Twitter account (@njeason), you know that she has been in this battle for quite some time. This summer, it took a turn for the worst, causing Nick to miss a lot of time on the field.

The thing about Nick is, he will recover. That is just the type of person he is.

Here is the tweet from the Cardinals:

Our sincere condolences to DL @njeason on the loss of his mom > on.fb.me/QGEQTxSend him some love.We are thinking about you Nick!

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 8, 2012

Nick announced throughout the summer that his mother had numerous surgeries and that her bout with cancer was draining her. Just when things seemed to be getting better, something else would go awry.

So when Miss Wilcox finally lost her battle, Nick posted this touching photo on Facebook.

I had the chance to meet Nick a couple of months back to video tape his boxing session with a Cardinals fan. Before I went, I really didn't know what to expect. This would be the first time I had met with a professional athlete outside of the working environment.

When I got there, Nick welcomed me into the gym with open arms and treated me (and my skinny arms) like any other person. We shared a few laughs and he made my experience an unforgettable one. That is testament to the great job that his mother did of raising him.

Our condolences are with you and your family during this time of hardship, Nick. Rest in peace, Miss Wilcox.

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