Troy University Athletics
Troy Sprinter Martin Bouldo Fights Through Cancer Twice
4/24/2023 4:08:00 PM | Track & Field
While enduring two bouts of cancer, it would have been easy for Troy University sprinter Martin Bouldo to pack away his track career, forget his dreams of one day being a doctor and instead wallow in self-pity.
But that's not how Bouldo approaches life.
"I'll be driving in my car, going somewhere trivial, and I'll go like, 'Damn, I'm lucky,'" Bouldo said. "For coming here, for the people that I've met, for the things that I've done … I'm lucky."
Bouldo first dealt with testicular cancer and then a tumor in his abdomen before his college track career really got off the ground at Troy.
"There's a huge perspective shift after cancer one," Bouldo said. "I went from being like, 'OK it could be worse.' I was like that guy, you know? And then I really appreciated it could even be much worse.
"And when things suck now, things could get a lot worse. I could have had stage 3 … it could have gone to my brain."
When he lined up at a meet in Auburn for his first competitive race last spring after beating cancer for the second time, Bouldo was counting his blessings.
"When I was warming up that day and I was in there little warm-up facility, I was nervous," Bouldo said. "What if I don't like it, what if I don't run good, whatever? And then I just got really happy … I'm just happy to be here and really grateful.
"For me, to be on the track, like I don't have to look far to find a reason to run … I have every single reason why I want to be out here. It was a really special moment for me."
Bouldo's journey from being a high school track star in Niceville, Fla., to signing with Troy University is filled with more ups and downs than a roller coaster.
"At a major, major big university I might have been falling behind in the numbers," Bouldo said. "A kid leaves, fine. But here, it's like they take care of you and I'm grateful for that."
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