I have always been a firm believer that if you do good things, good things will happen to you.

What happened to Mark Duper just reinforces that belief.

Duper, a Miami Dolphins legend and favorite target (along with fellow “Marks Brother” Mark Clayton) of Dan Marino, was participating in the Dolphins Cycling Challenge, a 150 mile bike ride to raise money for the Sylvester Comprehensive Care Center when he felt discomfort beyond the effects of the grueling ride.

He knew he wasn’t the world class athlete he was 20 years ago, but something wasn’t right.

Turns out he had a tumor the size of a football (ironically enough) in his right kidney. There was even fear that it had spread to his liver. Thankfully the people he was helping raise money for were on the case.

From the Miami Herald

Most kidney cancer patients discover they have cancer after seeing blood in their urine, according to Dr. Mark Soloway, professor of urology at the University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center. For someone like Duper to identify the tumor was “very uncommon,” Soloway said.

On Jan. 1, as he drove to Sun Life Stadium to watch the Dolphins take on the Jaguars, Duper spoke to Soloway. Duper said Soloway suggested he come in for a CAT scan. The CAT scan confirmed doctors’ fears that the cancer might have spread to Duper’s liver, but a follow-up MRI revealed better news: What doctors thought was cancer in the liver was actually a group of harmless lesions.

So not only did he discover his cancer in a very uncommon way, but he did it while raising money for the researchers who work with the doctors who removed his tumor.

Regardless of if you believe in a higher power or not, you have to think there was some mysterious forces at work here.

Doctors say his chances of being cancer free going forward are over 95%.

Last year, Jim Mandich, a tight end on the undefeated 1972 team who went on to be the local voice of the Dolphins, lost his battle with Bile-Duct Cancer.