By Edmund Moy
Photos courtesy of www.shrimplouie.com

Louie Bonpua is going the distance. That distance covers the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon of the Ironman Canada triathlon. His challenge, though, spans beyond the 140.6 miles of the grueling event.

While the 36-year-old prepares for competition, he also battles a rare form of cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a malignancy of the bone marrow and blood that strikes about 4,400 people each year, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The disease results in uncontrolled growth of white blood cells and progresses from the chronic to acute stage within five years. Now in the fourth-year stage, Bonpua needs to find a matching bone marrow donor for a stem cell transplant that may save his life.

“It’s a race against time for me,” Bonpua says.

The best bone marrow matches usually come from siblings. But none of Bonpua’s five brothers and sisters is a match. A male donor of Asian/ Pacific Islander (API) descent is his next best chance. But according to Asian American Donor Program (AADP) Bone Marrow Outreach Coordinator Naida Pare, of the 4.3 million people in the National Bone Marrow Registry, the total number of APIs represents a meager 6.1 percent.

Bonpua is not losing hope. “I believe in miracles … I’m ready for a miracle,” he says.

A recent bone marrow drive at the Filipino-American Cultural American Heritage Festival yielded over 60 registered bone marrow donors, according to volunteer Carol Chodroff. No one matched Bonpua, but Chodroff says they will keep searching.

“He’s the most awesome person in the world,” she adds. “We’re going to find his match.”

Diagnosed with CML on Sept. 17, 1997, Bonpua battled the disease with chemotherapy treatments, interferon injections and medication. At one point, the treatments dropped the 5-foot-7-inch Bonpua’s weight from 150 to 92 pounds, leaving him unable to walk. It was the lowest point in his life.

During May of 1998, several friends decided to cheer him up by taking him to Marina Green to watch the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon. He had always dreamed of completing the 1.5-mile swim, 18-mile bike ride and 8-mile run, but put off training for it year after year.

After watching others live out his dream, Bonpua made a promise to himself that if he survived the cancer, he would immediately train and participate in the next Escape From Alcatraz triathlon.

By July 1999, Bonpua was healthy enough to join the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training (TNT) triathlon program as an honoree and participant.

Designed for all athletes, TNT programs train participants to complete in endurance events such as marathons, triathlons, century bike rides and mountain biking in honor of a cancer patient. At the same time, participants raise money for cancer research and patient services.

Louie Bonpua Swimming at the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon.

It was a perfect fit for Bonpua. Within a span of 10 months, TNT helped him complete three triathlons — and on May 27, 2000, his dream finally came true. He finished his first Escape From Alcatraz triathlon. He has since completed a total of nine triathlons, numerous running events, century bike rides and open-water swims.

In August 2000, Bonpua found out about a new experimental wonder drug called STI-571 designed to combat CML. Though he had tried previous drug treatments that brought his white cell counts to within normal levels, those drugs proved unstable and had major side effects. The STI-571 reduced his white blood cell count to normal levels with minimal side effects. STI-571 has since been renamed Gleevec and given approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of CML in patients who have failed standard therapy.

Louie Bonpua crossing the finish line at the Keauhou-Kona Triathlon.

Another Reason to Celebrate

Last fall, Bonpua joined TNT’s Iron Team to train for this year’s Ironman Canada triathlon, which will be held on Aug. 26 in Penticton, British Columbia. The event will take place just four days before his 37th birthday. Family members will be there to cheer and celebrate.

“It’s so great for this whole team. [Louie’s] really brought us together and closer to the cause. He makes everybody work harder,” TNT Iron Team manager Allie Pendeleton says. “If he can get out of bed in the morning and do this stuff, there’s no excuses anybody on this team can make for us not to do it.”

In the face of a life-threatening illness Bonpua strives to enjoy every moment of the day. He continues to work a fulltime job, train six days a week with the Iron Team, while squeezing in motivational speeches to high school students and mentoring children with cancer.

“He was really the first person I met that had leukemia of any kind. Most people would see that as a death sentence and fade into the woodwork,” teammate Kristin Lahmeyer says. “But Louie takes it as an opportunity to speak out and educate. I think he’s wonderful. He’s definitely an inspiration.”

Stamped on the back of Bonpua’s Iron Team singlet is the team motto: “Going long for a cure.” It’s something he believes can happen. It’s also something his family wants to see happen.

“We’re hoping research will go farther. Not only for him, but others,” Bonpua’s mother Libby says. “We feel more for families who are experiencing the same thing. We didn’t know Louie was going to get this far.”

But recently, Bonpua’s white blood cell counts started testing abnormal. After being in hematological remission for nearly 10 months, the fear is that he’s no longer responding fully to Gleevec. But he knows a return to chemotherapy or interferon injections would mean a loss of weight and stamina.

“I’m not willing to go there ‘till after the race,” Bonpua says.

Despite the health concerns, family members, teammates and friends are supporting his decision to finish the training.

“Everybody’s concerned to some degree. The doctors wanted him to take time out. He doesn’t want to give up. I’ve gotten to look at it the same way he does — to do it,” Bonpua’s sister Aggie says. “I would do exactly what he’s doing. Make the best of it while you’re still able to do it.”

In the future, Bonpua wants researchers to modify the Gleevec drug for those patients that are no longer responding to treatment.

“I really hope they modify it,” Bonpua says. “Plan A is for them to modify Gleevec. Plan B is to find a bone marrow match and donor.”

On Aug. 26, Bonpua’s plan is a simple one: finish the Ironman Canada triathlon. Beyond that, he has signed up to compete in the Treasure Island triathlon on Nov. 3 and hasn’t ruled out training for another ironman triathlon next year.

Recently, Bonpua’s story gained national recognition. The Mia Hamm Foundation selected him for the “Mia’s Heroes” page on its Web site. Hamm’s brother Garrett died of a bone marrow disease and she continues to support charities working to find a cure.

Olympic officials also found his story so touching that they selected him to be an Olympic Torch bearer next January when the torch travels through the Bay Area on its way to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Even when you’re not in remission there’s hope,” Bonpua says. “You can follow your dreams. In this case, my dream is to do an ironman. [I tell young people] they don’t have to do an ironman. They can find out what their dreams are and pursue it even while you have cancer.”