Quarterback in her own right
How Deanna Favre executes God’s plan for her

By Maryangela Layman Román
Catholic Herald Staff

ST. FRANCIS — While her husband has thrown a “Hail Mary” pass or two in his illustrious career with the Green Bay Packers, on the sidelines Deanna Favre, wife of three-time MVP Brett Favre, has tossed up a steady stream of prayers as well.

She admits to praying for protection of her future Hall of Fame husband while he’s on the football field, but Deanna’s approach to prayer and faith goes far beyond the gridiron.

Her Catholic faith and the power of prayer are what sustained her through her bout with breast cancer three years ago, as well as through the many tragedies which have befallen her family, including the untimely deaths of her father-in-law, Irvin Favre, her brother, Casey Tynes, and two months ago, the death of her stepfather, Rocky Byrd.

“I think your faith does really deepen when things happen,” she said in a telephone interview with your Catholic Herald. “It taught me a lesson, because it seems I was calling on God a whole lot more than when I used to, but we need to be thankful for all the things in life, and need to say thank you to God, rather than waiting until something bad happens to call on him. We have so much to be thankful for; we are financially set, our children are healthy.”

Catholic upbringing in Kiln

Deanna described her upbringing in Kiln, Miss., as faith-centered. “My mom (Ann Byrd) was very, very Catholic, taking us to church every Sunday, teaching catechism classes,” she said. In fact, she said some of her earliest memories of Brett date back to catechism class. Both Deanna and Brett went to a public school, but every Wednesday a bus took the public elementary school students to catechism classes at Annunciation Catholic Church after school. She recalls a little boy with blond hair and a cowlick on the right side of his head.

They weren’t in catechism class together — he was a grade behind her — but their paths crossed often on the way to class.

After they began dating while in high school, Deanna remembers occasionally asking Brett if he had attended Mass on a particular weekend and was pleased to find out he had.

“For me, we did not have an option. My mom did not give us a choice,” she said about attending Mass. “Now, it’s amazing. I am so thankful that I attend regularly. Wow, I realize how much better I feel having gone to Mass. I can’t imagine not having faith; I’d be lost.”

The Favres belong to St. Agnes Parish in Green Bay during football season and St. Thomas Parish in Hattiesburg, Miss., during the off-season. Daughter Breleigh, 8, attends Holy Family School in Green Bay during the football season, just as her older sister, Brittany, now a freshman in college, did for eight years.

During the season, Brett attends team Masses celebrated by Packer chaplain Norbertine Fr. Jim Baraniak, while Deanna and the girls go to St. Agnes or find a Catholic church on the road, if they travel with the team.

“I love being Catholic,” said Deanna. “Some people think it’s too traditional because we repeat the same things at every Mass, but I love the fact that we re-enact the Last Supper every week, because it reminds us of what God did for us.”

Faith pulled her through cancer

Bible study, devotionals and private prayer are also a big part of Deanna’s life, she said, explaining that faith pulled her through her unexpected battle with breast cancer at age 35. She received her diagnosis four days after the family buried her younger brother, Casey, following an ATV accident.

In her book, “Don’t Bet Against Me: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life,” Deanna wrote, “But hearing Dr. Henry’s voice brought the truth home with stunning force. I had a loving husband, two daughters, a wonderful life. And breast cancer. Unavoidable. True. Deadly.”

She goes on to describe how she told Brett the news. He had been calling her regularly the morning she went for the biopsy. Each time, she told him she had no news. Call back after 12:30.

“Brett didn’t wait until 12:30. I had barely disconnected the doctor’s call when my phone rang again. Without even saying hello, Brett asked, “Did you hear anything?”

When I didn’t — couldn’t — answer, he exhaled a jagged breath, “Oh, God.”

His spontaneous prayer would have to suffice; I was too numb to pray.”

Prayer part of recovery

Once the initial shock of the diagnosis wore off, however, Deanna said prayer was a big part of her recovery.

One of her reasons in writing the book, she said, was to help others realize the power of prayer.

“The faith aspect of it, too. I don’t think people always realize the power of prayer and how faith plays a role in recovery or getting over the loss of somebody,” she said. “I don’t want people to think I’m perfect in my faith, and I’m not saying I am holier than thou, but it’s helped me get out of different things in life.”

Prior to breast cancer, Deanna said she had occasionally wondered about her life’s purpose.

“I remember always thinking, ‘OK, God, if you have a plan or purpose for me, you need to spell it out.’ Now it’s so funny; I prayed that for so long,” she said, adding that she believes things happen for a reason.

“God has an ultimate plan and this has all been part of his plan. Now I can really see how he planned things out for me. Breast cancer and the things I’ve been able to do because of Brett’s notoriety, the many women’s lives I have touched. At first I wondered how on earth God was going to use this,” she said, adding she realized God used her to bring a message to other women about early detection of breast cancer and the power of prayer in recovery. She said she’d been thrilled that many women have heard her story and have gone in for check ups.

“I realize I was being used by God,” Deanna added.

Don’t bet against her

Her book also details the way she coped with other life challenges including a pregnancy at age 19, single motherhood and a rocky relationship with Brett due to his addiction to prescription painkillers.

Their Catholic faith was a key factor in Brett and Deanna’s decision not to have an abortion when she became pregnant following her second year of college.

“We were always totally against (abortion),” she said, adding that putting their baby up for adoption was also not a consideration. “My mother always said, ‘You make your bed, you sleep in it.’ I knew premarital sex was wrong, but for whatever reason (I) did. I had made my bed and I knew I would keep the baby,” she said. Having Brittany meant that Deanna had to put her career goals on hold, but she said she was determined to do whatever she could to bring her up. Deanna credited her mother and mother-in-law, Bonita Favre, with helping her as a single mother.

“I couldn’t love her more,” she said of Brittany. “She’s very bright; I’m so thankful we have her.” Relationship is stronger than ever

During Deanna and Brett’s on-again, off-again relationship during college and his early NFL career, Deanna said she often turned to prayer.

“In college, everybody wanted to be around him and have some part in this big quarterback’s life. I often felt pushed aside and prayed about it. If we were meant to be together, God, please let it be.

“We did go our separate ways, but we always ended up together. God must have had a plan,” she said. “And now, I couldn’t have helped all these women if I hadn’t been married to him. I don’t call myself a celebrity, but because of him and all his success, that’s been thrust upon me, too, and allowed me to do more to help others.

Today, Deanna describes her relationship with Brett as stronger than ever.

“All the stuff we’ve been through over the years has molded us into two different people. It’s awesome to think where we started and where we are now. Our relationship has gotten to a much stronger point, a deeper love; we have so much respect and love for each other,” she said, adding they “text each other all the time” with little messages such as “I am so in love with you.”

Cancer-free and enjoying Brett’s successes in leading the Packers to a 4-1 start to the season and breaking Dan Marino’s all-time touchdown passing record two weeks ago, Deanna said she is “so happy and excited for him. This is the way it should be for him because he deserves it so much. I am so proud of him.”

She’s also happy that the Packers’ success has had a positive impact on Breleigh.

Every night before bedtime, Breleigh prays “that Daddy will play well, that he won’t get hurt and that the Packers will win this week.

“I had never taught her to pray for a win so it was rather strange that all of a sudden she’s praying that way,” said Deanna. She learned that in the last few years, however, Breleigh had taken some heat at school when the Packers lost, so praying for a win seemed to make Breleigh’s school life easier.

For herself, Deanna said she’s convinced the power of prayer has helped her family.

“Brett is a completely different person and I can see the power of prayer in just that. It’s changed our lives, our family. I still pray for him for a lot of different reasons and I pray for his protection (on the football field) each week,” she said.

“I find myself praying a lot, when I get up in the morning, when I’m driving. I did not always allow God to be in every decision I made in the past, and I realize the ones he wasn’t a part of, were probably not good decisions.”

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