Bodybuilder Pierce Borras Uses Fitness In His Fight Against Brain Cancer
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- He fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and he fought fires, now a Colorado man is fighting for his life. Pierce Borras has a brain tumor. It is stage 3 cancer, but 21 months after diagnosis, he's still battling.
Borras is very strong. He made weightlifting look easy as he worked out at the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center.
He's an amateur bodybuilder and he has trained and entered four competitions since February 2018, the same month he was diagnosed with brain cancer.
"Around that time, my sister noticed my speech was slightly off," Borras told CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.
An MRI showed a rare malignant tumor, anaplastic astrocytoma, the size of a grapefruit.
"The first year, I pretty much cried every night," Borras said.
He had been an Army Ranger. At the time of diagnosis, Borras was a firefighter in Georgia.
Thirty percent of the tumor was removed. Borras had radiation and chemotherapy, but the cancer took his career.
"Technically, I became a liability, so they let me go," said Borras.
He moved to Colorado to be with his girlfriend and found work at a gym.
"Still staying in the gym every day, watching what I eat," he explained.
His first bodybuilding competition was two days before brain surgery. He's entered three more competitions since. He's on chemo, in the care of UCHealth.
Borras has found hope and joy through his little boy, 9-month-old Ace.
"He's just so cute and he's like ahead of the curve," said the proud dad. "It's changed me tremendously, that's all I care about now.
Borras has plans for one more competition, The Arnold Classic. He'll meet his role model, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
After that, he'll stay focused on fitness but he'll devote his time to family as he continues his fight.
Borras is a good example of what UCHealth calls #MANtenance. It's an initiative to make men more aware of both maintaining their health and preventative measures they can take to work toward a better self. Even though he is going through cancer treatment right now, Borras is still choosing to make his body a priority.
The MANtenance campaign, now in its fourth year, takes place in November.