(CNN) — As Cyril del Pistoia sat on the edge of his hospital bed, struggling to move his legs, the possibility of competing in a triathlon seemed like a distant dream.
The Frenchman, who now lives in the United States, is recovering from leukemia and has undergone invasive treatments, including a bone marrow transplant, leaving him with the task of learning to walk again.
However, 10 years after his transplant, Delpistoia signed up to compete in this year’s Ironman World Championships in his hometown of Nice, France, where participants must complete a 3.5-kilometer swim, 112-kilometer bike ride and marathon.
It was the moment the 35-year-old had always wanted but while he was in his recovery phase it seemed impossible.
“It’s always been a dream, always in the back of my mind,” he told CNN Sports.
“But honestly, when I was in the hospital, at that point all I was thinking about was survival. I just thought ‘I wish I could move around a little bit’. You focus so much on the little things.”
“It hurt even to eat. My goal at that time was to stay alive.”
Delpistoia has always been interested in sports: as a child he played rugby in France, later took up cycling and eventually competed in triathlons.
He fell in love with the “strategic component” of triathlon and learned how to pace himself while swimming, biking and running.
Despite not becoming a professional athlete, he continued to practice the sport and combined it with his studies and career.
But by 2012, everything changed.
Delpistoia’s job required him to travel frequently between France and the United States, and he began to feel more tired than usual.
After experiencing upper chest pain, she went to the doctor and received a devastating, life-changing diagnosis.
“I remember the look on his face when he gave me the results and he told me to go straight to the hospital,” he said.
He underwent more tests to confirm initial suspicions and was eventually told he had leukemia.
“It was very difficult,” he recalls. “For some weird reason, I always had a feeling that, medically speaking, I was going to go through something hard, so I thought, ‘Okay, it’s time.'”
“You’re just there processing information.”
The Frenchman finished the race ten years after a bone marrow transplant. (Image credit: Donald Miral of IRONMAN)
The next day, he was admitted to the intensive care unit and began chemotherapy. At first, the treatment worked, but after a month and a half in the hospital, his recovery began to stall.
So, he said, he opted for a new experimental treatment that offers new hope. It worked, to the point where doctors could no longer find measurable amounts of cancer cells in his blood.
However, to reduce the chance of the cancer returning, Delpistoia underwent a bone marrow transplant.
Learn to walk again
Finding a suitable donor was not easy, and once found, the Frenchman had to undergo radiation therapy before he could receive the new stem cells.
He has little memory of that time, describing it as a “parallel life” where his body was in the hospital but his mind was elsewhere.
“I don’t remember anything happening,” he said before explaining how the treatment burned his entire body.
He joked that the sports fan faced several issues, including damaged lungs and very low heat tolerance, which was not ideal for someone eager to return to triathlon.
But after a few weeks of treatment, his body began to respond. Later, Delpistoia was able to focus on recovering from an ordeal that left him so weak that he had trouble even sitting up in bed.
He remembers how painful it was to even try to eat small amounts of food and water, and the overwhelming feeling of taking his first shower in nearly two months.
“I remember sitting on the bed with my feet dangling, trying to move my legs up, a few inches each, little by little, trying to regain control of my legs.”
“Then at some point I was able to stand up. After I was able to stand up, I was able to walk.”
Recovery was slow, but Delpistoia gradually began to rebuild his life.
A year later, he returned to work overseas and began to recover. Early in his diagnosis, he requested a stationary bicycle in his ward. Now he can go anywhere he wants on two wheels.
He said training was an important aspect of his life before getting sick, but after recovering the sport took on some new meaning.
Instead of focusing too much on time and physical improvement, Delpistoia is enjoying his “second chance at life.”
return to sport
In 2020, she competed in the biathlon at the World Transplant Games in Canada, and returned to the world stage in April to compete in the triathlon at the World Transplant Games in Australia. He ranked first in his age group.
These games are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter, and are primarily open to people who have received a solid organ (liver, heart, lung, kidney, pancreas) or bone marrow transplant.
“It’s awesome because you’re competing against people who have similar struggles in their lives. Everyone’s been through something and everyone has a story to tell,” he said.
“People look at me and think I’m super fit. I run fast, I bike fast, I could be a triathlete.”
“But at the same time, I still have a lot of limitations. So it’s nice to be around people who really understand it.”
This year, in a defining moment, he was invited as a special participant to the Ironman World Championships in Nice in September.
Delpistoia knows he can’t compete with some of the best athletes in the world, and he’s grateful for the opportunity.
The fact that it was held in his hometown made the experience even more symbolic, he said.
“My performance there is very, very secondary. I’m just trying to enjoy every aspect of it,” he added.
“I want to make sure my story is heard because it makes me so happy. At the end of the day, if I can inspire people, that’s what inspires me the most.”
“If I know someone is having a hard time in the hospital right now and hearing a story like mine helps them move forward, then I’ve won.”
“Just to let them know that there’s not just light at the end of the tunnel and that you can still do extraordinary things in life.”
Delpistoia was pleased with her performance in the swim and bike races but said she overheated in the run.
This forced him to run slower than he would have liked in the final stretch of the race, but his emotions were undiminished as he crossed the finish line and he couldn’t hold back the tears.
exciting future
Now, Del Pistoia, who holds an Ironman world title, is looking for a new challenge.
He said he has not ruled out the possibility of qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships, also known as a half-distance triathlon, in the future and will be competing in some long-distance races soon.
Outside of sport, Delpistoia recently qualified as a seaplane pilot and hopes to use his platform to raise awareness and improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
“I hope to be able to share my story more and more to inspire and help people. That’s the value I see in the world,” he said.
“If I can help people when they’re having a hard time, that makes me really happy, more than any (sporting) performance.”