Miami Dolphins WR Brandon Gibson and T Jason Fox along with Miami Dolphins Women’s Organization member Diane Philbin visited patients, their families and staff of alex’s place – Sylvester’s pediatric oncology clinic. The visit was in honor of the Dolphins Cycling Challenge (DCC) and the organization’s commitment to funding cancer research in South Florida.
“All the money that DCC raises goes straight to Sylvester. This money is very key for us because it goes to support research. It’s very important for us to do our research and find a cure for cancer. So we count on the Dolphins Cycling Challenge for support and we’re grateful for it,” said pediatric oncologist Dr. Edward Dela Ziga, from Alex’s Place at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. “It’s great to see the Miami Dolphins here with these children because they get excited when they see the players. They know that the Dolphins are working hard to bring them and their families relief from their problems. We’re very grateful for this visit.”
Christie Laporte, a patient at alex’s place who recently had surgery, said of the visit: “Super awesome. I’ve never met a Miami Dolphins player. For high school, I’ve visited their training camp bubble. It was really great to make that connection to now meeting a player.” She added, “This makes my day a lot better. It was going to be super long but now it’s going to be better.”
The children were greeted by the players as well as Mrs. Philbin, and each received a T-shirt, coloring sheets and a Dolphins Cycling Challenge goodie bag that included foam footballs, pencils, stickers and Miami Dolphins stuffed animals.
“The wins and losses in the football season, that brings plenty of ups and downs. But doing this visit is definitely one of the good parts of the season to brighten up kids’ days,” said Fox, who played collegiately for the University of Miami. For him, football and serving the community come full circle. “What’s so cool about football is people look up to you – especially kids. So when they see their team, or players from their team, come in, that’s always one of the fun side parts of my job. I know they might be having a tough time with the stuff they are going through and their families. But anything to brighten these kids up for a day or just to see their smiling faces makes it worth it.”
