Powerlifter with SCID finds strength in family, friends, and faith

When Myles Temple left the hospital after an almost three-year stay, he couldn’t wait to ride his bike and hang out with his friends. The 13-year-old had endured cancer treatment, followed by a bone marrow transplant (BMT) for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a life-threatening primary immunodeficiency (PI).

Once Temple got home, though, he discovered he couldn’t walk or last the day without a nap. Time in the hospital had caused his muscles to atrophy and left him with severe fatigue.

“In that period of time, I found myself in a really deep hole of depression, but I finally got myself together and started walking every day, walking the stairs and doing tiny exercises,” said Temple. “Within about eight months or so, I was kind of back mostly to normal. It was a big period of adjustment.”

When Temple entered high school, he joined the track team and raced in the mile run, the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter dash, and the 4x400-meter relay. He built up his endurance and developed friendships with fellow athletes. Best of all, he had access to the school’s weight room where he worked out.

“I really fell in love with that, and it was something that I was much better at than running,” said Temple.

Now 22, Temple is a powerlifter who has qualified for national competitions and participates in state powerlifting meets. In powerlifting, athletes compete based on how much they can lift compared to their body weight.

“I think that was really attractive to me because I didn’t have to be [the] strongest. I can be as strong as my body stature allows me to be,” said Temple. “It’s really fun.”

Temple’s athletic achievements are remarkable considering his medical journey.

Placed on a ventilator at birth, he underwent his first BMT for SCID at 6 months old with his father as a partially matched stem cell donor. That BMT failed and a year later Temple received another transplant with stem cells from his father. Although the second BMT proved successful, Temple developed a cancerous tumor at age 3. Doctors treated him with surgery, and he recovered. Temple remained healthy for several years but fell ill again at 9.

“I couldn’t breathe. I was getting pneumonia constantly,” said Temple. “My joints were swelling and hurt and I was barely able to walk.”

An immunologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital recommended a third BMT using an unrelated donor and conditioning with chemotherapy. Just before the treatment, clinicians discovered Temple had a tumor in his neck. Between the chemotherapy and the surgery for the cancer and the BMT, Temple lived in isolation in the hospital from age 10 to 13. He saw mostly adults and even they had to wear gowns, masks, and gloves. He missed seeing people’s faces.

While family members, especially his mother, stayed by his side, two clinicians had an impact on Temple’s life at the hospital. One was a nurse practitioner who played video games with him regularly. Another was a researcher who used his lunch hour to teach Temple how to draw and paint.

“I really think without him and without that hobby in particular, that period in my life would have been a lot harder,” said Temple.

The creativity the researcher inspired in Temple influenced his choice to major in media and production at Indiana University where he created short movies and commercials. While earning his degree, Temple interned in Los Angeles and lived with two roommates, one a film producer and the other a film editor. The trio plans to make a documentary about Temple’s journey with PI and his interest in powerlifting.

Temple enjoys writing and crafting movie scripts for crime thrillers and adventure movies. He is a fan of director Christopher Nolan, famous for such films as “Oppenheimer” and “The Dark Knight” series.

“A lot of people view movies as a way of escapism and for people with primary immunodeficiency I think that’s rather important. It's something that can bring comfort for a couple of hours, another world that we can dive into that’s better than this one,” said Temple.

“I think that just beyond entertainment, there is a lot of value in being able to tell a story well, and those stories can benefit people who don’t have the best life circumstances.”

A volunteer with IDF, Temple assists with a young adult Get Connected Group where participants discuss topics ranging from job searches and resumes to the challenges of living with PI. Temple depends on his support system of family and friends to navigate the difficulties that come with a PI diagnosis but finds the greatest strength through his religion.

“I think having a Christian faith, praying, and being in the Bible and Scriptures every day and seeing the promises that God has for you is super important and gives me hope and endurance that I would not have had otherwise,” said Temple.