Miami – Miami Dolphins' players, cheerleaders and T.D. visited Alex's Place at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center to distribute gifts and brighten the spirits of young cancer fighters and their families.

"They're amazing and awesome because they are taking time out of their day to bring a little joy to people like me," a patient at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Sandra Shinego said. They came in, gave us some goodies and cheered us up. It's an amazing outreach program for the Dolphins to do that and it's something that is really appreciative because there is not a lot to do so it's great that they come in and they brighten your day. I'm a Dolphins fan; I was born here, from here and am always supporting the Dolphins."

The children and their families had a chance to interact with the team, get autographs and take photos.

"It was so crazy there were so many Dolphins fans in there and the patients were Dolphins fans too," Miami Dolphins Cornerback Xavien Howard said. "My favorite moment was playing with the kids, taking pictures, and just laughing and giggling with the kids. You never know what people go through these days, It's s a lot of stuff that goes on that we can't control so using my platform and putting myself in that position to put a smile on people's faces, then seeing that smile and helping them to keep fighting, that's what it's all about. It's not really a feeling I can explain of how much it means to me. With the DCC, it's an event that goes on with the Dolphins, we got the bike ride at the stadium and stuff like that so it's a lot of things that we do and it's the Dolphins using their platform to be in people's lives, putting a smile on their face, and them just helping out in the community."

This visit is in advance to the Dolphins' Crucial Catch game on Oct. 14 against the Chicago Bears. At this game, the team will celebrate and honor on-field cancer fighters and survivors from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and researchers who have received funds from the annual Dolphins Cancer Challenge (DCC).

Registration is open for the DCC IX, scheduled for April 6, 2019. This marks the ninth edition of the popular community event that raises funds for innovative cancer research at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth -- the University of Miami Health System. The DCC donates 100 percent of participant-raised funds to innovative cancer research at Sylvester. The event is the NFL's single largest fundraiser.