Posted: May 19, 2005

Triathlon: Local boy inspires Philadelphia Triathlon athletes, CHOP donations

PHILADELPHIA (May 19, 2005) – Ed Dowling, of Allenhurst, NJ, on the Jersey Shore, started running 11 years ago to lose weight. Three years ago, after accomplishing all of his goals and becoming bored with the five-kilometer and marathon races, he took up triathlon – an intense effort of swimming, biking and running, one after the other – and now he’s regularly chasing top-five finishes and racing for a reason, his nephew, Thomas Peterpaul, who passed away last autumn after a year-and-a-half battle against Leukemia. Dowling is raising money and set to compete at the June 26th swim-bike-run Philadelphia Triathlon at Fairmount Park (www.phillytri.com), which benefits Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) oncology department, among other groups.

Thomas, diagnosed with Leukemia on February 24, 2003, passed away on September 11, 2004, a few days shy of his 12th birthday. “CHOP tried a stem cell transplant and chemotherapy, he lost his hair, was losing his skin, and had other side affects,” said Dowling. “We thought that he had made it through it, but all of a sudden it came back. They had a bone marrow drive when he relapsed in February 2004, and he stayed pretty much at CHOP the whole time.”

Dowling can speak with great passion about the “phenomenal nurses and doctors” and support they provided not just to the patients but also to the families who often suffered greatly, too, in their own ways. “The oncology department had a core group of people just to take care of the family. Whatever was needed, they did whatever they could to make you as comfortable as possible. Play rooms for siblings, living quarters for families, and other things.”

In addition to running his own business and responsibilities to his family at home, Dowling is committed to triathlon, devoting hours and hours each week to training focused often on very intense bike rides followed immediately by running.

“I would complain about how painful training was, but then we would go visit him and it put things in perspective. When he started losing his hair, I told him I’d shave my head to keep him company. Thomas was the type of kid that most of these cancer patients are – their acceptance of this type of thing is much better than we do as adults.

“The amazing thing is that these kids were always smiling. They knew what they were going through and the pain they endured, but sensed that the hand of G-d was always over them,” Dowling said, taking a moment to blot an eye welled with tears. The pain, though, was not limited to the young patients, but in the many ways their families endured, too.

“We saw a lot of kids in that hospital whose families, in a number of ways, were unable to support them as much as ours could. There were kids whose parents worked for companies that did not afford them as much time to take off and be with them, and we wanted to help.” So began the non-profit, Thomas Peterpaul Foundation to generate awareness of the battle pediatric cancer patients face, raise funds for pediatric cancer research and improve the quality of life for CHOP patients and their families. The foundation gives families monthly endowments to offset medical expenses, traveling, loss of work, and other unforeseen expenses parents can run into.

Along his journey, Thomas received phone calls and letters from Lance Armstrong, rock stars U2 and Hollywood television hosts, and they helped his bone marrow drive. When Lance came out with the yellow bracelets, Thomas and his family placed their order but also created their own as other organizations have done. His orange bands are embossed with “Inspire a Smile,” and the money raised goes directly to the foundation, which benefits CHOP.

When Dowling and his family heard about the Philadelphia Triathlon and that it was going to help the hospital, Thomas’ parents, Frank and Barbara Peterpaul, asked if he’d race in Thomas’ memory. He and Tom Battaglia, of Long Branch, NJ, will toe the line for him. Dowling hopes to sell the bracelets during the race weekend, too.

The Philadelphia Triathlon will feature many of the city’s most historic and picturesque areas along its Olympic-distance course (1.5 km swim/40 km bike/10 km run). More than 1,250 amateurs will attack the challenging yet fun swim in the Schuylkill River, two-loop bike course winding through Fairmount Park and past Boathouse Row, and scenic, out-and-back run along the Art Museum loop.

Beneficiaries of the independent Philadelphia Triathlon at Fairmount Park (www.PhillyTri.com) include Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s division of oncology, Police Athletic League and Fairmount Park Commission. Sponsors-to-date include Cadence Cycling Performance Center, Endless Pools, Triathlete Magazine, Wissahickon Mountain Spring Water, Penguin Brands, Sorbothane, Nathan Sports, Hammer Nutrition, New Balance, Philadelphia Runner, Fox Rothschild Attorneys at Law, Renaissance Marble and Granite, and Savran Benson Certified Public Accountants. For more information on the Thomas Peterpaul Foundation, visit www.ThomasPeterpaul.com.

Source: Hammy Handwerker
SLH Communications.