Food Allergy Awareness Day at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility

I’m a 15-year-old athletic sophomore in high school living in South Florida. I have been a Miami Dolphins fan my whole life. It is a team that my dad has always loved and a team that I embraced. My baby announcement was a picture of me in a Miami Dolphins outfit. One could say it was my destiny to be a Miami Dolphins fan.

I am also a kid with severe food allergies. I am allergic to nuts, shellfish, sesame seeds, and mango. For the past couple of years, I have been volunteering with FARE as a TAG (Teen Advisory Group) member and happily spreading awareness and raising funds for food allergies.

One day, I got an email that FARE was partnering with an NFL team, and it was the Miami Dolphins. I was so excited!! To kick off the partnership, FARE had an Allergy Awareness Day at the Dolphins training facility on August 24, 2021. I had the opportunity to be there and to be part of the excitement.

At the FARE tent, I met some important people that work for FARE and the Miami Dolphins. It was really nice being around people that had knowledge and understanding about food allergies. I also met KiAnna Dorsey, who is a college student at the University of Miami. Together, we did an Instagram live. She interviewed me about the importance of the partnership between FARE and the Miami Dolphins. She also asked how it relates to my life.

This partnership is important to me because it is a big step in the right direction. The Hard Rock Stadium is going to make sure that their kitchen is allergy friendly so that people with food allergies can feel safe getting food. This is going to make a difference in my life and in the lives of people with food allergies. Knowing you can go to a stadium and purchase allergy-friendly foods from a kitchen that is certified by FARE is going to be a huge relief for people living with food allergies.

After hanging out at the FARE tent, I went to the bleachers and watched the Miami Dolphins practice. It was my first time seeing a professional team practice. It was nice seeing them up close as they were doing their drills. I have been to many games, but this experience was different and special. While I was watching them, a Miami Dolphins representative who I met earlier that day walked up to me and handed me an autographed football. I was so happy to receive this gift, and it was meaningful because the player who signed it has a daughter with food allergies.

I had an amazing day! I’m looking forward to the partnership between FARE and the Miami Dolphins. I am confident that this partnership will help build awareness of a life-threatening disease and bring attention to this cause that is so important to me and many others.

To learn more about FARE's partnership with the Miami Dolphins, click here.