By Carla Schick

This Sunday's 48th NFL Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos is expected to be a close game. But, with players like Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas running for the Broncos, the Seahawks have been left with the underdog title. That being said, should we write off the Seahawks from winning the biggest football game of the year? Not so fast.

At one time or another, those in the immune globulin (IG) community might have felt like their life was the Super Bowl and they were the underdog. No one expected them to win. No one thought they could overcome adversity. They did not have enough fight in them to pull off a miracle.

But oftentimes, those naysayers are dead wrong. NFL history can confirm this. According to the Las Vegas Sun, the "underdog has won outright in four of the past six years and covered without taking the victory in a fifth."

Cynical opinions aside, it is not easy being the underdog. So often, we learn about patients who have spent weeks in the hospital with an infection that just won't quit. Or, courageous parents who are fighting with their insurance company to get their child life-saving treatments. And, frequently, patients become unsuspecting underdogs when their IG infusions leave them with debilitating side effects.

But underdogs have unique qualities that set them apart from the rest of the pack. Mark Twain's famous quote, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of fight in the dog," holds true in the IG community. Many of the patients who we have had the privilege to serve over the years have shared with us their victories, great and small. And they all have something in common: They have more heart, more willpower, more strength and greater motivation to win. And, they do. They pull off what no one thought possible, whether it is winning their battle for the right treatment, braving infusion side effects to attend their child's school play, warding off exhaustion to buy groceries and make dinner, or administering one last treatment so they can go to a concert to listen to their favorite band.

The only thing we can expect from underdogs is the amazing, because with a fierce passion, they will pull out a win that no one saw coming.

If sports have taught us anything, it is never to bet against the underdog. My guess is that the Seahawks will pull out a sudden victory over the favored Broncos.

What are your experiences as a triumphant underdog?