Future Army Capt. Boyd Melson, 6-0 (3),
of White Plains, NY, was about to enter his last year during the
summer of his senior year at West Point when he met someone who would
change his outlook on life. Her name was Christan Zaccagnino who had
suffered a Spinal Cord Injury at the age of 10 which was 9 years
before their meeting. She was wheelchair bound initially paralyzing
her from the neck down. She was told she had a 3% chance of ever
regaining movement let alone walking again. “I will walk again,”
she said.
Melson made his Atlantic City debut on
October 1st on the Sergio Martinez-Darren Barker WBC light
middleweight championship undercard. The “Rainmaker” as he is
known won all 6 rounds over much taller Russ Niggemyer, 2-4 (2), out
of OH, in the light middleweight division. Zaccagnino had called
him this jokingly years ago after watching the movie “The Power of
One” where the name was given to a character in the movie while he
was a teenager in South Africa because of how he brought hope to the
different African tribes in a prison through his character and his
boxing. Melson chose to adopt this name because of his quest to do
his part in bringing hope to Spinal Cord Injured Human Beings through
his character and boxing so that they may one day rise up out of
their wheelchairs and walk again.
Melson turned professional in November
of 2010 and had won all his fights in NY including his most recent
one in NJ. He is not currently signed with a promoter, but he is
coached by Joey Gamache and Burney Lenahan, has his father First
Sergeant Retired Nolan Melson Jr. in the corner with him for every
fight, and managed by Allan Wartski.
Melson donates his entire purse after
every single fight to the Non-Profit Foundation Justadollarplease
found at www.justadollarplease.org This foundation was established to specifically raise funds for the
first ever U.S. Clinical Trial using Umbilical Cord Cells from
Umbilical Cords donated after birth. The Cells will be injected
directly into the Spinal Cords of injured Spinal Cord Human Beings
immediately above and below the site of injury with the aim of curing
Spinal Cord Injuries. The trial is set to launch early next year at
Brackenridge Hospital in Austin, TX, and the trial will be expanded
nationally 6 months later heavily concentrating in NY and NJ. With
direct help from his mother Annette Melson, money is raised through
donations in the lead up to every fight for Disabled Veterans that he
donates to the Wounded Warrior Project.
His grandparents are Holocaust
Survivors having lived in Poland during the Holocaust. The trunks
Melson wears tells a story in itself. “WEST POINT 03” across his
back waist. There is the Star of David on one side representing his
grandparents while a camouflaged wheelchair on another side paying
tribute to our Disabled Veterans. “FIGHT TO WALK” runs across
the front of his waist bringing awareness to Zaccagnino’s daily
battle, Spinal Cord Injuries world-wide and the need to create
Clinical Trials to offer them a chance at regaining an independent
life.
Melson was a 2004 World Military
Champion, won a silver medal at the 2006 US Championships, placed 5th at the 2005 Amateur World Championships and is a 3-Time US Armed
Forces Gold Medalist boxing champion. In 2008 he was an Olympic team
Alternate in Beijing. He is a member of the Jewish Sports Hall of
Fame and now serving in the US Army Reserves. Additionally, Melson
works a corporate job for Johnson & Johnson in their Ethicon
Division as a Medical Device Rep where he sells Sutures to Surgeons
to be used operatively in their medical facilities, and he teaches
boxing and overall fitness classes in Brooklyn and throughout
Manhattan for the Equinox Fitness Club Franchise.
Melson and Zaccagnino have traveled
together to China twice for Stem Cell surgeries, Amman, Jordan for a
Cell transplant, Mexico for Stem Cell injections, and participated in
different studies for Spinal Cord Injuries conducted in the tri-state
area. He helped her relocate to San Diego, CA, for a few months to
pursue a promising physical therapy program. They are still chasing
their dream of her walking again every day.
A study has been carried out by his
friend Dr. Wise Young who was Christopher Reeve’s advisor when
Reeves suffered a broken neck. Dr. Young is the MD/PhD responsible
for creating the U.S. Umbilical Cord Clinical Trial launching in the
states next year. In 2005, TIME MAGAZINE awarded Dr. Young with the
honor of being “America’s Best in Spinal Cord Injuries.” His
life’s work has culminated in this trial designed to offer a chance
at regaining an independent life for people such as Zaccagnino and
Disabled Veterans sentenced to a wheelchair resulting from a Spinal
Cord Injury. Please go to http://www.justadollarplease.org and donate a least just a dollar towards this trial. We all share
this planet so we all need to share this fight!
Through boxing writer Matt Yanofsky,
Melson agreed to do a Q&A while training for his upcoming fight
at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City.
Ken Hissner: Boyd, you’re bringing
the awareness of Spinal Cord Injuries after meeting Christan in 2002
is a story in itself. How has she progressed to this day?
Boyd Melson: Christan is a Human Being
that gives direct testimony to the power of a person’s mind.
Shortly after meeting her, she shared with me that she never believed
that her life was meant to be spent in a chair. I believe that her
belief is the first reason why she has gained as much as she had and
has not lost as much as she could have lost. Breaking her neck at
age 10, she was immediately pulled out of school during the summer of
her entering 5th grade. She missed grades 5-8, yet still
graduated from Portchester High School on pace with her correct year
group in Westchester, NY, earned her Undergraduate Degree out of Iona
College still on pace with her correct year group, and earned her
Master’s Degree out of Iona College shortly after. She completed
all of this while continuing physical therapy anywhere from 3-4 hours
a day from the moment she was able to start her physical therapy. If
you look at her, she appears as if she is choosing to sit in a chair.
She regained most of her movement from her waist up, she regained
sensation throughout her body, she has incredible muscular tone and
strength in her arms, and her legs refused to atrophy to the bone
like the traditional Spinal Cord Injured Human Being suffers from due
to the loss of voluntary use of their legs. She is 18 plus years
post-injury, and she is able to wiggle her toes, move her feet,
transfer in and out of her chair from one location to sit to another
location to sit, and can take steps with the assistance of full leg
braces on, a walker and someone trained at guiding the walker. When
manually brought to a standing position with legs locked out and
something to hold on to, she is even able to stand for periods at a
time without any person holding her around her knees to help keep her
legs locked out. She currently works a full-time job for New York
Life in Manhattan as an agent selling Life Insurance while continuing
her daily physical therapy. One of the four procedures she had
significantly helped with increasing her overall sensation as well as
overall muscular strength and actually woke up muscles that did not
work prior to the procedure. A second of the four procedures
additionally helped with all of these improvements, but not near the
extent of the procedure primarily responsible for much of her gains.
They helped give her the ability to transfer in and out of her chair
as well as improved certain biological functions. It is important to
note that none of the procedures she had involved using Umbilical
Cord Cells, and Dr. Young’s studies have shown that these are the
Cells that have a realistic chance of offering the type of
improvement that will actually allow enough improvement to not only
live an independent life, but actually allow for people such as
Christan to walk again. Dr. Young started his trial in China in
November of 2010 where it had to be shown as safe before the FDA
would approve of the trial here in the United States. It was carried
out in two different locations in China, and he shared that the
patients undergoing the trial in one of the locations were injured
for an average of 10 years. When I asked him about the results so
far, he shared that many of the patients first started to regain
feeling in places they did not have feeling for an average of 10
years, and a few months after that started to regain movement. Now
the reason it is not an immediate fix is a very important factor that
people need to understand. Nerves at best grow on an average at the
speed that humans grow hair on their head. When a Spinal Cord Injury
happens, immediately the nerve damage is localized only to where the
actual injury happened. However, as time progresses with the chain
in the Spinal Cord being broken, all the nerves below the injury die
as well. As a result, the Umbilical Cord Cells not only have to help
re-grow the nerves at the site of the injury, but then have to help
those nerves grow all the way down the Spinal Cord from the site of
the injury to the end of the Cord. In a perfect world, as they grow,
they connect with the different body parts they are responsible for
sending signals too for feeling and movement to take place. Healing
is not perfect though, and many of the nerves will not grow, and many
will grow but will not connect like they need to. Fortunately, it
has been discovered that 90% of your daily bodily functions can be
carried out with a Spinal Cord that is only 10% intact. So it is
that 10% Dr. Young and all of us at a minimum are hoping for. A grand slam will essentially turn them back into what they were before
they were injured. A solo homerun should allow them to walk again.
A real good at bat will hopefully allow them to walk again, but most
important, should allow them enough return to live an independent
life again. Christan will tell you after 18 plus years in a chair
that she has been in the batting cages practicing every day for at
least a strong at bat. I wanted to emphasize that Cells of any type
will not create the “cure” on their own. It was what you did and
what you do with your mind, body, and should from the moment you were
injured until the moment you have the cells in your body. It can be
compared to an athlete recovering from a blown out knee. If you
perform surgery and repair the knee, but the athlete does not undergo
any physical therapy, the knee will be fixed but the athlete will
never get any type of use out of their knee that resembles what it
was originally designed for. Christan shows that being an athlete
begins in your mind and is living proof that the body will follow if
the mind is strong enough.
KH: You have quite an amateur
background while attending West Point and currently a Captain in the
US Army reserves today. How many fights did you have in the
amateurs?
BM: I had 18 Inter-Collegiate bouts.
I participated in Intra-mural bouts at West Point as well as an
annual smoker called the Brigade Open which is an all comer’s
tournament Cadet versus Cadet, and I had about 50 matches after
college. Collegiate boxing is designed to be a Novice level sport
for amateur boxers where you are not allowed to compete
Inter-Collegiately if you had more than 5 bouts outside of college
before your first Inter-Collegiate bout. I began boxing my freshman
year known as your “Plebe” years at West Point as “Plebe
Boxing” is a mandatory class not just at West Point, but at the
Naval and Air Force Academies as well. The course teaches you the
basics, but is designed for the purpose of teaching you to face your
fear in one-on-one combat in preparation for inevitable battle
through war-time conditions as an Officer. You are taught at your
infant stage as a Cadet at the Academy what it is like to have to
rely only on yourself in the face of physical adversity.
KH: You were an alternate in the 2008
Olympics welterweight division. Was that to Demetrius Andrade?
BM: I was an Alternate to Demetrius
Andrade who is one of the most gifted boxers I have ever seen in my
entire life. Keith Thurman was the first boxer to become the
Alternate. I had beaten Keith earlier as an amateur, but he beat me
in the trials. Keith decided to turn professional immediately after
the trials. The Alternate slot was then given to Charles Hatley. I
had beaten Charles earlier as well as an amateur, but he beat me in
the trials. Charles left as the alternate a month in, and it was
given to me.
KH: I see you were quite busy having 3
professional bouts in 2 months from May to July of this year. Has
your reserve duty made it difficult in obtaining bouts since?
BM: Not at all. I had a brief lay-off
after my first fight due to being cut above both eyes from incidental
head-butts. I then had a much longer lay-off after my second fight
due to a slight fracture to my thumb. I suffered during my fight
followed by my Army Reserve Unit ordering me to have my Wisdom teeth
removed as part of being Combat Ready. I have had two more matches
since July through current day, and if all goes well, I am hoping to
have three more matches before the end of 2011. I am extremely
fortunate with the fact that I am able to sell a large amount of
tickets per fight to people that support not just me but my cause as
well. As you know, being able to generate a lot of ticket sales
helps get the attention of promoters so that you can fight on their
cards. Of great importance is my manager Allan Wartski and his
connections throughout the professional boxing community. He is one
of the greatest blessings my life could have ever asked for.
KH: I see your name on DiBella
Entertainment’s list of fighters.
BM: I have fought on three of Lou’s
cards, but I am not signed with DiBella or anyone for that matter.
He has a strong friendship with my manager which helps with getting
me on Lou’s cards, and Lou has made it known to me on multiple
occasions how much of a supporter he is of my mission to bring an
awareness to this Clinical Trial through my person, my donations, and
my boxing. I will forever be grateful to Lou DiBella for his
decision to help give me a platform to publicly fight for my cause in
the ring. I will forever greatly appreciate his help.
KH: Saturday was your first time out
of NY fighting in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall under a Sergio
Martinez defense. I think he’s No. 2 p4p. Have you had a chance
to meet him?
BM: Man, Sergio is my favorite
professional boxer. You have to remember that I did not grow up
boxing or even planned to box. It kind of just happened. I am a kid
inside through and through. So many times I have to remind myself
that I am living this and cannot just enjoy watching it as a fan.
Whenever I go to an event, my first thought is to see which boxers
are there that I’ve seen on television so I can meet them and
hopefully get an autograph. I do not think I will ever see myself as
a peer to them regardless of how well I do or do not do in this
sport. I met Sergio at my second match on a DiBella undercard at BB
King in Manhattan. Was I ever a kid with a big Kool-Aide smile on my
face!
KH: Have you set any goals as far as
your boxing and military careers?
BM: I have finished my mandatory
military obligation of 5 years Active Duty resulting from my
attendance at and graduation from West Point. After those 5 years,
you have a duty of 3 years in the Army In-Active Ready Reserves
called the IRR. You essentially have no daily affiliation with the
Army, but your name exists on a list where you could be called back
from to serve. Instead of going into the IRR, you have the choice of
staying on Active Duty for another 3 years or joining the Army
Reserves for those 3 years to complete the rest of that obligation.
I completed my three-year IRR Duty 31May 2011 by serving in the Army
Reserves out of Fort Hamilton where I was and am still assigned to
the 1179th Transportation Brigade. I was originally
commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer, but a job in Field
Artillery does not exist in the Reserves. Right now I am currently a
Captain, and I am voluntary serving in the Reserves under no
obligation. I am scheduled to begin the Captains Career Course in
January of next year which is mandatory to complete in order to be
promoted to the rank of Major in the Army. I do not have a readily
set end-point to my time in the Army Reserves, and I hope that the
conditions in my life afford me to put a total of 20 years in the
Service. As far as boxing goes, my goal is to keep at it to see how
successful I can be. In a perfect world, I do not plan on boxing
beyond my mid 30’s and definitely not beyond 34 or 35. I do not
plan on boxing if the sport lets me know that maybe I should be
trying something else because I am not of high enough caliber to keep
progressing through the levels. I have my Undergraduate Degree from
West Point and an MBA as well, so I would like to put that to use.
One of my dreams is to one day become a motivational speaker, and if
I could focus a lot of those speeches on helping improve the lives of
those suffering from medical afflictions, then I will have lived a
happy life. Another dream is to one day earn a Doctorate in Cellular
Biology. If I could do that with a professional boxing championship
on my resume, then I will have lived an even happier life. I train
every day for every match as hard as I can from 8PM-10PM after work,
sometimes run in the middle of the night when I cannot sleep, and try
to run a few times a week during my lunch hour at work. Should the
day come that I fall short in the ring or it is just time to say
good-bye, as I have done with almost everything I am passionate about
in life, I will know that it was not due to me failing to do all I
could to prepare.
KH: I understand you and Christan were
hoping for Dr. Young’s Clinical Trials to open in the fall. What
is the status of that?
BM: As far as I know, it is launching
in January of 2012 in Austin, TX, at Brackenridge Hospital.
KH: I want to ask all the viewers of
this site to pray for Christan and you in helping to bring a cure to
Spinal Cord Injuries. I also want to thank you Boyd for taking the
time from your busy schedule to answer these questions.
BM: Thank you my friend for choosing
to listen to what I have to say. This trial is much greater than any
one person in boxing and more important than anything that boxing has
to offer. We are looking at the hopes of having the first ever cure
in Spinal Cord Injuries where a cure means a chance for Spinal Cord
Injured Human Beings to live an independent life. A chance to live
where they can give birth to their kids, play with their kids, raise
their kids, walk their children down the aisle, teach their children
how to box – feel like Human Beings again in the way God intended
for them to live. Money needs to be donated for this trial to
happen. They need to raise 12 million dollars to treat 120 patients
in the trial. The government is not helping with a penny to raise
these funds. I am giving what I can through my fights, but I do not
earn much at all. I beg you to go to www.justadollarplease.org and give one dollar. If everyone in NYC gave just one dollar, the
money would be raised. If everyone gave one dollar, this cure might
happen. We will never know if this will be the cure unless the money
is raised, and if we all do not give, then the money will not be
raised. One single dollar please. Just give it. It is 4 quarters.
This is not a disease. It has nothing to do with genetics. I do not
care how strong you are. NFL players break their necks and backs and
they are super humans. It can happen to any one of us in a single
moment, and our lives are changed drastically for the worse for every
moment after that moment. It is a life sentence chained to a
wheelchair. You become a prisoner in your own body. Your entire
family suffers because of the strain on them by having to help so
much as well as the strain on them for feeling helpless by not being
able to help more. It is your mother in the chair, your child, your
brother, your best friend, your wife. A dollar for a cure. Please
give. Help them fight to walk. That is what I stand for. Helping
our Wounded Warriors regain the lives they had before they
volunteered to have our country tell them where to go to protect it
is what I believe in. I will never stop fighting fort this until a
cure comes that helps Christan live the life she has prayed for
throughout her past 18 plus years. Type the name Christan Zaccagino
into google to see a picture of that precious soul, and you tell me
you are not willing to give 4 quarters to help her smile the way she
is begging for again. Then take those 4 quarters and go to the darn
website www.justadollarplease.org and donate them. I will not ask you for another penny, but I will
ask you to ask another to go to the website and give of their
quarters. It may be your child one day that those 4 quarters created
a cure for so you do not have to helplessly hear your baby’s daily
cries as they live in a wheelchair watching their friends play
outside helplessly while they sit in their rooms during the summer.
Help support my Fight in the ring and outside of the ring to help
those who really need help while they Fight To Walk. Thank you with
Strength and Love for your time in listening to my heart.
KH: I went to the site prior to the
story and now I will be reaching out to others to do the same. It’s
better to give than receive when you can help another. You certainly
will feel better for it!
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