Joe Ellenberger fights on despite rare blood disease
By Ben Fowlkes , USA TODAY Sports
Lightweight Joe Ellenberger got his first offer from the Ultimate Fighting Championship five years ago.
He had been waiting for the offer since he started his mixed martial arts career, but he had to turn it down because at the time he wasn't sure if he'd live long enough to complete it.
In the summer of 2009, Ellenberger was diagnosed with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare blood disease with about 8,000 diagnosed cases in the USA. It usually shows up between ages 20 and 40, and when it does, it typically begins destroying the body's red blood cells at an alarming rate.
Ellenberger was 24, and research said he'd be lucky to live much past 30. Doctors told him he'd never participate in contact sports again, much less fight on MMA's biggest stage.
Yet on Saturday, Ellenberger, 29, will take on James Moontasri at UFC Fight Night 44 in San Antonio (10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1), assuming that he's finally found an opponent who will still be there come fight night.
At first Ellenberger (14-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) thought the biggest obstacle to a UFC career would be his blood disorder. Many promoters would be hesitant to sign a fighter with such a serious medical condition, just as state athletic commissions might be reluctant to clear him to compete.
But Ellenberger decided early on that he wasn't going to let his career go down without a fight. Thanks to the drug Soliris — at one time the most expensive drug in the world, according to Forbes magazine, costing an estimated $440,000 annually per patient — he soon was back in the cage and back on the UFC's radar.
But before the UFC would sign him, it wanted to be certain he could get licensed.
According to UFC officials, once Ellenberger passed those medical exams, the organization had no concerns about his fitness to compete in the cage. The only problem then was finding him an opponent, as one after another dropped out because of injury or was rescheduled for other fights.
Ellenberger went through five prospective opponents to get to Moontasri (7-1, 0-0). It made for something of an emotional roller coaster, he admits, but it was worth it, and not just for his own sake.
Ellenberger serves on the foundation's patient committee, and one of his roles is to call young patients to lend support and guidance after a diagnosis. To his fellow PNH sufferers, his fight career is about more than wins and losses.
Despite her concerns, Paulette and many other foundation members will be watching when Ellenberger finally steps into the UFC cage. As for Ellenberger, he knows he'll have more than just his coaches in his corner.
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By Ben Fowlkes , USA TODAY Sports
Lightweight Joe Ellenberger got his first offer from the Ultimate Fighting Championship five years ago.
He had been waiting for the offer since he started his mixed martial arts career, but he had to turn it down because at the time he wasn't sure if he'd live long enough to complete it.
"It wasn't the way I envisioned things going," Ellenberger says. "But here I am."
In the summer of 2009, Ellenberger was diagnosed with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare blood disease with about 8,000 diagnosed cases in the USA. It usually shows up between ages 20 and 40, and when it does, it typically begins destroying the body's red blood cells at an alarming rate.
Ellenberger was 24, and research said he'd be lucky to live much past 30. Doctors told him he'd never participate in contact sports again, much less fight on MMA's biggest stage.
Yet on Saturday, Ellenberger, 29, will take on James Moontasri at UFC Fight Night 44 in San Antonio (10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1), assuming that he's finally found an opponent who will still be there come fight night.
At first Ellenberger (14-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) thought the biggest obstacle to a UFC career would be his blood disorder. Many promoters would be hesitant to sign a fighter with such a serious medical condition, just as state athletic commissions might be reluctant to clear him to compete.
But Ellenberger decided early on that he wasn't going to let his career go down without a fight. Thanks to the drug Soliris — at one time the most expensive drug in the world, according to Forbes magazine, costing an estimated $440,000 annually per patient — he soon was back in the cage and back on the UFC's radar.
But before the UFC would sign him, it wanted to be certain he could get licensed.
"They did some pretty rigorous testing just to make sure that if I were signed I could pass medicals anywhere they'd need me," Ellenberger says. "I'd been through it with the Nebraska commission and places like that, but they don't just fight in one state. They wanted to know that I could fight in Brazil, Canada, Nevada, New Jersey, California — wherever. I just made sure that I had all my I's dotted and my T's crossed to make sure that when the time came they'd know I could get cleared."
According to UFC officials, once Ellenberger passed those medical exams, the organization had no concerns about his fitness to compete in the cage. The only problem then was finding him an opponent, as one after another dropped out because of injury or was rescheduled for other fights.
Ellenberger went through five prospective opponents to get to Moontasri (7-1, 0-0). It made for something of an emotional roller coaster, he admits, but it was worth it, and not just for his own sake.
"Joe is an inspiration to other PNH patients, especially the younger ones," says Judith Paulette, the committee chair and former president of the PNH Research and Support Foundation. "When they get this diagnosis, they are pretty disoriented to begin with. It often comes out of the blue, and what your life plans were seem to be totally in disarray.
"To hear from someone who has navigated that and decided, 'No, I don't have to give up what I love to do,' that's really exciting for them to see that example."
Ellenberger serves on the foundation's patient committee, and one of his roles is to call young patients to lend support and guidance after a diagnosis. To his fellow PNH sufferers, his fight career is about more than wins and losses.
"It's a little bit of awe, this feeling like, 'Yeah, you go,'" Paulette says. "But it's also a little bit of, 'Wow, I hope he doesn't get hurt.'"
Despite her concerns, Paulette and many other foundation members will be watching when Ellenberger finally steps into the UFC cage. As for Ellenberger, he knows he'll have more than just his coaches in his corner.
"If I can fight in the UFC, it shows that we can overcome a lot of this adversity we've been dealt," Ellenberger says. "We just have to do it the right way and not give up."
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Statistics: Posted by Kizzo — Jun 27. 2014, 09:54 — Replies 0 — Views 1
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