Pierce laughs as he says that his 5K run “wasn’t as fast as my race times in high school,” but he reflects that, “Ultimately, I won my own race.”
Pierce’s cancer journey began in the spring of 2018, just two weeks after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering. A serious headache led to a hospital visit, where a cancerous tumor called a non-gemonious germ cell tumor of the yolk sac variant was discovered at his brain stem and was rapidly growing. After undergoing four different chemotherapy treatments in 2018, his abilities dwindled to the point where he could only move a finger and had to use eye gaze for communication. In December 2018, he underwent another brain surgery for full resection of the tumor. However, the cancer returned in the spring of 2019, requiring another round of chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and proton beam radiation. He had to work hard to regain enough strength to receive these life-saving treatments, and through intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapies, he succeeded. A few weeks after his bone marrow transplant, he began a six-week daily treatment of proton beam radiation, an important final step in attacking and finishing the cancer.
Today, Pierce works full-time as a mechanical engineer and, as of July 2024, will be five years cancer-free. He participates in many recreational sports, including mountain biking, snowboarding, running, rock climbing, and others. He credits his survival to the exceptional medical personnel at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mass General Hospital, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, and the unwavering support of his family and friends.