Amidst the adrenaline-filled spectacle of the NFL, it’s quite rare for us to witness a heartwarming moment on the field. But the Arizona Cardinals recently delivered a beautiful moment that transcends the football field. 

The meeting of an athlete and a cheerleader on the field narrated a unique story of victory altogether. This tale narrates the intertwined emotions of battling a shared challenge. While confronting a common obstacle, the bonding strength of empathy becomes even stronger.

Alopecia awareness soars in between tackles and touchdowns 

Recently, on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice field, a quiet yet powerful moment unfolded. NFL quarterback, Josh Dobbs connected with the Cardinals’ cheerleader finding a common ground of struggle. Although their journeys in their field have been completely different, both shared a common chapter in their life.

Both Dobbs and the high-spirited cheerleader Ellie have dealt with the unrelenting turmoil of alopecia, an autoimmune disorder. Alopecia mercilessly robs its victims of their hair. 

A video posted on Twitter, now X by @Arizona Cardinals, a soul-stirring exchange of words between Dobbs and Ellie on the practice field won the hearts of netizens. Their casual exchange of words has gone viral with the video having more than 143k views.

The footage started with the young cheerleader, Ellie coming forward and greeting Dobbs. “How long have you had alopecia?” enquired the 28-year-old athlete who has been suffering from Alopecia since the time he was in third standard. The cheerleader replied that she was diagnosed recently, last January.

Ellie shared how she had “no choice” but had to show up in the audition with no hair, “So basically right before auditions, I had lost 85%. I shaved it all and showed up to auditions with no hair”.

Dobbs too shared his experience with the disease, “mine started at third grade, my hair grew back in high school and then in college it just like slowly started to fade.”

Dobbs presently holds the position of the team’s starting quarterback while Kyler Murray is recovering from an injury.

Fans and netizens showed support for both Dobbs and Ellie. The comment section of the video received heartfelt comments.

Empathy and encouragement overflow in the comments section

One of the users commented, “Nice you are both strong people”, stating the fact about Dobbs and Ellie.

Another fan wrote, “BEAUTIFUL  BOTH  OF YOU”.

While another user wrote a beautiful comment, “Ellie is so cute without hair! You don’t need that wig! Your rocking ur baldness!”

“So sweet. They look so comfortable in their skin. I think they’re awesome.❤️🥰”, commented another user stating how they were super confident and strong while dealing with such a disease.

While another fan commented, “They are both beautiful! ♥️♥️ Ellie seems like an amazing person, very strong to “Just go for it” Setting a great example! ♥️ Of course, we always love Josh, he’s the best!!”

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Another user wrote, “…So many people struggle with alopecia and try hiding it. 😔A lot of people don’t know about it either! Love seeing people being more open about it and pushing awareness and being confident in their own skin and loving themselves!💞🥰.”

As Dobbs and Ellie exchanged stories and shared laughter, their bond not only depicted the unpredictable nature of their condition but also the strength of their unyielding spirits. Their bond over facing an invisible foe serves as a touching testament that, even within the glamorous arena of sports, there can be genuine issues.

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