Terminal Cancer Patient Completes Ironman Triathlon: ‘Be a Force for Good’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Jonathan Pascual, a 50-year-old father, lung transplant nurse practitioner and triathlete, isn’t letting his terminal cancer diagnosis hold him back.
“Pascual was training for the Ironman event in March 2022 when he was diagnosed with stage IV paraganglioma, a tumor that forms near the carotid artery in the neck. The cancer is so rare it’s estimated only two out of every 1 million people are ever diagnosed with it,” the Press Democrat reported.
“Paraganglioma is a type of neuroendocrine tumor that forms near certain blood vessels and nerves outside of the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are important for making hormones that control many functions in the body and are located on top of the kidneys,” the National Cancer Institute wrote.
Despite the odds being stacked against him, Pascual refused to let that stop him from competing and pushing himself beyond what he thought possible.
According to ABC News, Pascual “fulfilled his longtime dream and defied the odds by completing the VinFast Ironman World Championship, one of the most challenging sporting events in the world.”
The event consists of a “2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and finishes with a marathon 26.2-mile run.”
For Pascual, the toughest part was the 2.4-mile swim.
“There were times that I had to flip over my back just to catch my breath,” he told ABC News.
Pascual’s achievement in the Ironman World Championship wasn’t just for himself but for other cancer patients as well.
When he crossed that finish line, he knew he completed something only a handful of people ever get to accomplish.
“I have played [it] in my mind [like] a movie for so long,” he said.
One of the biggest pieces of advice Pascual offers to anyone else in his same position is to “never be afraid to ask for help.”
“It is very important that you are able to be a good friend, the best teammate, the best son or daughter and be the kindest person in the room,” he added. “Be a force for good so that you can affect other people’s lives.”
