Texans fan's big heart lands her big surprise

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The theme for Thursday's game is "Texans Care," and the Texans gave their fans the chance to win a set of tickets to see it in person.

Contestants had to write a 250-word essay about the volunteer work they do and how it's impacted others and themselves. Nova Sprague, an echocardiographer at MD Anderson, won.

"I do ultrasounds on hearts, and so we make sure our cancer patients aren't getting chemotherapy that will affect the heart," says Sprague.

She spends about 15 minutes with her patients daily and gets to know them well, but she has a special place in her heart for Jamie Gilmore.

"She's very hopeful. She cares about anyone involved with cancer, the patients and their families," Sprague said.

In 2012, Gilmore's cancer -- acinic cell carcinoma -- relapsed for a fourth time. During treatment, Sprague performed cardiac ultrasounds regularly and got to know how big Gilmore's heart really was.

"It's giant. Giant heart, it's awesome," Sprague said.

Because Gilmore's cancer is so rare, she started her own charity, Jamie's Hope, to help raise funds for cancer research.

"I've always been looking for something to do charity-wise, and it had a connection with MD Anderson, so I thought it was perfect for me," Sprague said.

When Sprague learned about the "Texans Care" contest to award volunteers with tickets to Thursday night's game, she knew her work with Jamie's Hope was perfect.

"When we met, that's the first thing we talked about. She goes all the time, and so we bonded on the Texans to begin with," she said.

She applied in a heartbeat. "

The deadline was at 10 o'clock. I submitted at 9:40, and at 10:10, I got a phone call that I won, and I was like, no way I won this!" Sprague said.

She'll be at the game representing Jamie's Hope.

"It's cool that I get to go for a good reason. I'm there because i did something for somebody else," Sprague said.