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CWA's Ironman Takes On All Comers
Rich Dambakly, all-around athlete, member of CWA Local 1101 and a cable splicer for Verizon in New York, knows a lot about comebacks.
Life-threatening cancer and a Christmastime job layoff would hit most people hard, but Dambakly kept a schedule of running and exercise to help combat his cancer and kept his faith in CWA that he would get his job back.
Dambakly absolutely credits his athletic training in large part for helping him beat a tough disease. And he just as resolutely credits his union, CWA, for standing strong and standing up for workers on the job.
Dambakly joined Verizon and CWA in 2000 and was on the job in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001. He became part of the CWA contingent that spent months at Ground Zero, working seven days a week, 12 to 24 hours a day, to get communications up and running after the World Trade Center attacks.
In January 2002, still in the midst of round-the-clock work at Ground Zero, Dambakly went to the doctor to get help for a persistent chest cough. "Instead, I learned I had cancer, a tumor the size of an orange that required chemotherapy." Dambakly was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer that has a good cure rate, but requires very rigorous treatment.
Dambakly began what would be five months of intense chemotherapy and treatment that sapped his energy and weakened his immune system. He stayed on the job for a while, then shifted to disability status while continuing his cancer treatment.
"The pain and the chemo treatments were tough. Sometimes, the pain actually crippled me. Some days following the chemo, you just can't do anything," he recalled.
The loss of his father, George, in 1999 to lung cancer was another factor in Dambakly's drive. "He is always on my shoulder, watching me and I get a lot of my strength from him."
Dambakly was determined to keep moving, "any chance that I had the slightest bit of strength, I would do something," he said. To his doctor's surprise, he kept up an ongoing training program for the Lake Placid, N.Y., Ironman Triathlon, an extremely competitive race of swimming, biking and running set for July 2002.
"I've been an athlete my entire life, and I was determined to do this. I pushed myself more than anyone could imagine," he said. Dambakly fit his training schedule into an already hectic life of doctor visits, chemo treatments and family life with wife Dorothy, who was then expecting their third child, and daughters Diana and Julia.
In July 2002, just a few weeks after his final chemo treatment, he finished the Ironman in about 16 hours, off his previous records, but an amazing feat for a man diagnosed with cancer just six months earlier. "It took me a very long time, but I finished a good hour before the cut off," he said.
Immediately after the race, Dambakly went back to the job. "I was very happy to be back at work, then a few months later, the layoff hit," he said. In December 2002, Verizon laid off 2,300 technicians in the New York area and another 1,100 in Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic States and New England.
It was a rough time, but we knew the union was strong and was fighting to get our jobs back, Dambakly recalled. "I talked with my steward and hoped for the best," he said. In January 2003, his daughter Erica was born.
Dambakly's most recent event was the August 2003 New York City Triathlon, which he completed at about his normal pace, although the last part of the run was a little rough, he reported. Dambakly wore a CWA bandana in appreciation of the union's efforts to get his job back.
Now 42, Dambakly is a dedicated CWA member and supporter who is grateful to the union for its successful fight to get laid off Verizon workers back on the job. "The union is strong, everyone knows it," he said.
His health is good, his job is good and he is pursuing the kickboxing, martial arts and other athletics he loves. Dambakly just completed the USA Triathlon Level 1 coaching requirements. He believes that running, or any sort of aerobic activity, is a very important part of a successful fight against cancer. "You tell yourself that 'I just want to finish, I want to be able to keep going."'
His training schedule has become a real family affair, with his three daughters cheering both himself and wife Dorothy in races. Dambakly noted that his oldest daughter Diana ran a quarter mile in just two minutes when she was six years old. "I wonder how she'll do at seven."
Life-threatening cancer and a Christmastime job layoff would hit most people hard, but Dambakly kept a schedule of running and exercise to help combat his cancer and kept his faith in CWA that he would get his job back.
Dambakly absolutely credits his athletic training in large part for helping him beat a tough disease. And he just as resolutely credits his union, CWA, for standing strong and standing up for workers on the job.
Dambakly joined Verizon and CWA in 2000 and was on the job in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001. He became part of the CWA contingent that spent months at Ground Zero, working seven days a week, 12 to 24 hours a day, to get communications up and running after the World Trade Center attacks.
In January 2002, still in the midst of round-the-clock work at Ground Zero, Dambakly went to the doctor to get help for a persistent chest cough. "Instead, I learned I had cancer, a tumor the size of an orange that required chemotherapy." Dambakly was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer that has a good cure rate, but requires very rigorous treatment.
Dambakly began what would be five months of intense chemotherapy and treatment that sapped his energy and weakened his immune system. He stayed on the job for a while, then shifted to disability status while continuing his cancer treatment.
"The pain and the chemo treatments were tough. Sometimes, the pain actually crippled me. Some days following the chemo, you just can't do anything," he recalled.
The loss of his father, George, in 1999 to lung cancer was another factor in Dambakly's drive. "He is always on my shoulder, watching me and I get a lot of my strength from him."
Dambakly was determined to keep moving, "any chance that I had the slightest bit of strength, I would do something," he said. To his doctor's surprise, he kept up an ongoing training program for the Lake Placid, N.Y., Ironman Triathlon, an extremely competitive race of swimming, biking and running set for July 2002.
"I've been an athlete my entire life, and I was determined to do this. I pushed myself more than anyone could imagine," he said. Dambakly fit his training schedule into an already hectic life of doctor visits, chemo treatments and family life with wife Dorothy, who was then expecting their third child, and daughters Diana and Julia.
In July 2002, just a few weeks after his final chemo treatment, he finished the Ironman in about 16 hours, off his previous records, but an amazing feat for a man diagnosed with cancer just six months earlier. "It took me a very long time, but I finished a good hour before the cut off," he said.
Immediately after the race, Dambakly went back to the job. "I was very happy to be back at work, then a few months later, the layoff hit," he said. In December 2002, Verizon laid off 2,300 technicians in the New York area and another 1,100 in Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic States and New England.
It was a rough time, but we knew the union was strong and was fighting to get our jobs back, Dambakly recalled. "I talked with my steward and hoped for the best," he said. In January 2003, his daughter Erica was born.
Dambakly's most recent event was the August 2003 New York City Triathlon, which he completed at about his normal pace, although the last part of the run was a little rough, he reported. Dambakly wore a CWA bandana in appreciation of the union's efforts to get his job back.
Now 42, Dambakly is a dedicated CWA member and supporter who is grateful to the union for its successful fight to get laid off Verizon workers back on the job. "The union is strong, everyone knows it," he said.
His health is good, his job is good and he is pursuing the kickboxing, martial arts and other athletics he loves. Dambakly just completed the USA Triathlon Level 1 coaching requirements. He believes that running, or any sort of aerobic activity, is a very important part of a successful fight against cancer. "You tell yourself that 'I just want to finish, I want to be able to keep going."'
His training schedule has become a real family affair, with his three daughters cheering both himself and wife Dorothy in races. Dambakly noted that his oldest daughter Diana ran a quarter mile in just two minutes when she was six years old. "I wonder how she'll do at seven."