Dolphins Cancer Challenge Total Hits $22.5M+ for Cancer Research at Sylvester

$6M+ raised by DCC VII is the largest gift in the event’s history

The Miami Dolphins announced the Dolphins Cancer Challenge VII (DCC VII) raised $6,000,157 for innovative cancer research at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, bringing the event’s seven-year total to more than $22.5M.

Beginning third from left, DCC Chair Eric Feder, Chair of Sylvester Board of Governors Adam E. Carlin, Sylvester Director Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., Dolphins Chairman Stephen M. Ross, and Vice Chair of Sylvester Board of Governors Jayne Sylvester Malfitano, with staff and supporters at check presentation ceremony.

“We are proud of what we accomplished this year in raising a record amount of funds for innovative cancer research at Sylvester,” DCC Chair & Vice Chairman of Rialto Capital Management Eric Feder said. “The DCC’s commitment to fighting all types of cancers is truly remarkable, and we look forward to continuing to make a difference in DCC VIII.”

Started in 2010 by the Miami Dolphins as the signature initiative of the Miami Dolphins Foundation’s health pillar, the DCC is dedicated to improving people’s lives through the financial support of innovative cancer research at Sylvester.

“Today’s gift to Sylvester is an incredible demonstration of the growing commitment and community support that embodies the Dolphins Cancer Challenge,” Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., said. “The Miami Dolphins have been unparalleled partners in raising money to fund the recruitment of outstanding faculty and the transformational cancer research taking place at Sylvester. We are so grateful to the South Florida community that generates those funds by participating in the DCC; together our efforts provide hope to cancer patients throughout the region.”

The Miami Dolphins and Dolphins Cancer Challenge supported the NFL’s Crucial Catch campaign designed to raise awareness of early detection and risk reduction of cancers in their October 8 home opener vs. the Tennessee Titans. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center serves as the presenting sponsor of the Crucial Catch game, and all fans attending the game received a Cancer Awareness wristband upon entry to Hard Rock Stadium.

Before the game, fans were invited to visit Crucial Catch activities on the northeast and southeast plazas. Sylvester invited Dolphins fans to write words of encouragement or the name of a person who has been touched by cancer on origami paper cranes in a beautiful hanging display based on a Japanese traditional belief that 1,000 paper cranes will bring good luck. The hanging cranes were displayed at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The DCC gifted the largest single donation an NFL franchise has presented to a charity at halftime. The halftime presentation featured 100 yards of Cancer Survivors in support of cancer research. Immediately following the check presentation, 40 cancer survivors and doctors from Sylvester took part in a “We Are Cancer Fighters” card tribute.

DCC funds are used to support truly innovative research, helping recruit and retain some of the world’s best minds in cancer research and care and, investing in cutting-edge technologies to bring the latest in discoveries for detection, diagnosis and treatment to cancer patients in South Florida and beyond. In just seven years, more than $22.5 million dollars has gone to fund research that leads to more-effective targeted therapies for each patient’s cancer, including:

• Precision medicine – discovering, developing and delivering the next generation of precision cancer medicine.

• Immunotherapies – investing in the fast-growing field of cancer immunotherapies that boost the patient’s own immune system to attack and eradicate cancer cells.

• Clinical trials – offering the latest clinical cancer trials to patients, allowing them to receive some of the most promising new therapies targeting the drivers of their particular cancers.

• Radiation oncology research – developing new ways to more precisely deliver radiation therapy in a variety of cancers, concentrating the dosage on cancer cells and leaving healthy tissue unaffected.

• Cancer diagnostics – investing in the newest technologies and best talent to better understand each individual’s cancer and its genetic drivers.

The Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC) was founded in 2010 by the Miami Dolphins organization as the signature initiative of the Foundation’s health pillar. The DCC’s mission is to improve people’s lives through financial support for innovative cancer research at South Florida’s only academic-based cancer center — Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. Since its inception, the DCC has raised more than $22.5 million, donating 100 percent of participant-raised funds to Sylvester. For additional information, call (305) 943-6799 or visit DolphinsCancerChallenge.com. DCC can also be found on Facebook and on Twitter.

Tags: Adam Carlin, Crucial Catch, dolphins cancer challenge, Eric Feder, Jayne Sylvester Malfitano, Miami Dolphins, Miller School of Medicine, Stephen D. Nimer, Stephen M. Ross, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami