Behind SMU's new Spring Game decals, a 13-year-old girl's message of hope

Alexa Spears expects to shed tears, even at the risk of catching an eye roll from her two daughters, when the SMU football team runs onto the field for its spring football game Friday night. 

SMU’s white helmets have a different flare for this year’s game. The signature red Mustang now has a red balloon clamped in its muzzle, a design her 13-year-old daughter, Annabella, created. SMU’s football players and coaches chose to wear that decal among several submitted by Children’s Health patients.