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Retired heavyweight Mark Tullius is engaged in journey to every state in the union to answer the question why. The project is called Unlocking the Cage.
One of the fighters he has interviewed to date is pioneering Northeast fighter Eddy Rolon, who has been diagnosed with a rare nerve disorder, and is doing a fundraiser. Tullius lent the effort his cash, and, below, he lent it his words:
A Fighting Chance
May 15, 2012. I was 14 days into my first Unlocking the Cage trip, just 2 more days before I could head home to my wife and young daughter. I’d already visited 13 schools in 4 states and interviewed nearly 50 MMA fighters and coaches. I was nursing a cartilage tear in my ribs, it was raining and I was exhausted. I wanted to call it a night, but I’d been told by several people along my journey that if I was going through New Jersey I had to see Eddy Rolon at Endgame Combat Sports Academy. They promised I wouldn’t be disappointed, it’d be worth the hour drive each way.
Well they were wrong, this guy was awful.
Actually he was pretty awesome, the exact type of fighter I wanted to talk with. Eddy was 39, same age as me, we started fighting in ‘98, and both of us had children. I hadn’t realized it was Eddy’s night off to be home with his family and I hated cutting into that time, but we still talked for two hours. I loved how excited he became when he discussed his Daddy and Me Boxing class and there was no doubt this guy was making a positive difference in the lives of everyone he was coming across. And who doesn’t like a guy who ends an interview by dancing on an enormous exercise ball while disco lights strobe across the darkened gym.
It was one year later that Eddy responded to my anthology invitation to write a short story based on a critical moment in his life. Eddy sent me a list. A long list. He’d been doing a lot of critical thinking about his past events because he was trying to understand why he was sick. He didn’t want the public to know but he was struggling with an unidentified complex neurological disorder that doctors just couldn’t figure out.
May 15th, 2014. I haven’t heard from Eddy in over a year. I’m a s—-y friend and didn’t check in, figured I’d have heard if he had good news. J.A. Dudley, a fighter out of Eddy’s that’s been helping me out since that day I met him, sends me a link where Eddy talks about his diagnosis with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) a rare disorder of the peripheral nerves characterized by gradually increasing weakness of the legs and, to a lesser extent, the arms. Weakness occurs over two or more months and the symptoms are severe. Not only is this affecting Eddy’s personal life, but his business one as well. He’s in danger of losing the gym he’s poured his soul into and he could use a little help.
Even if you don’t live close enough to support Endgame in person, I hope you’ll consider donating to the cause. You can pitch in any amount and there are prizes set for certain amounts. I’m donating a one-month membership so someone can benefit as well the gym.
