The 16th Dolphins Cancer Challenge takes place in less than two weeks on February 28th.
But riders, runners, and walkers have been preparing all year for the event, in which they hope to surpass $100 million raised for cancer research at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The Dolphins really take the phrase “One team, One fight” very seriously.
In fact, when one of their own was diagnosed with cancer, he says he felt their love and support– even from across the country.
When Brady Engel crossed the 5k finish line at DCC15 last year, he was just one month post-stem cell transplant after his 2nd battle with B-Cell Lymphoma.
“The DCC was kind of always my target date when I came out of that stem cell transplant,” Engel told CBS Miami’s Lauren Pastrana. “I would ask the doctors, like, am I going to make it to DCC?”
This year, he’ll be back on the bike, riding 39 miles fresh off getting scans declaring him cancer-free again!
Engel is the Dolphins’ Director of Business Solutions. He joined the organization in 2020, which was his first job after graduating from college. He was living in California at the time, working remotely because of COVID.
Just months after getting hired, he got his first diagnosis.
“I had a tennis ball and tennis ball-sized lump in my throat that I had kind of seen for about 6 months, and it wasn’t acting like cancer, it wasn’t growing, exponentially like a lot of the, the cancer does, so we took about 1 year to really diagnose what it was,” he recalled.
Even from across the country, Engel says he felt the support of his Dolphins’ co-workers.
When he finally moved to South Florida, he was eager to participate in the Dolphins Cancer Challenge as a survivor.
“Meeting everyone who had supported me for the first, you know, year and a half of my tenure with the Dolphins, having never met them like that, was one of the most special things that that I’ve ever experienced is coming here,” Engel said.
In late 2024, he noticed the lump on his neck had returned.
This time, he was in Miami for treatment and immediately sought out care at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In January 2025, he underwent a stem cell transplant, and the DCC the very next month was his first public outing after the procedure.
“Coming out of it having been in the hospital 3 weeks prior to the event was truly magical,” he said. “I remember seeing all my friends who I hadn’t seen for 6 months, seeing all the people who were supporting me, and supporting everyone who was going through a similar fight, it’s just always great to see.”
This will be Engel’s 6th DCC. He says his girlfriend is in medical school and she will be part of the DCC, too. She won’t be riding, but she’ll be helping with all-important skin cancer checks on site.
