The Ninja Warrior with a Rare Nemesis
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Pamela Price on American Ninja Warrior
Pamela was born 34 years ago in Virginia Beach, Virginia, grew up in Scarborough, Maine, and now calls Los Angeles home. The surname Price comes from her father, Dr. Neil Price, a retired psychiatrist. She gets her Filipina genes from her mother, the former Kariann Mendoza. Pamela’s lolo, Conrad Mendoza, emigrated from San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines. The late Senior Chief Petty Officer served 30 years in the Navy. His wife, Gloria, accompanied him to the U.S. where they had Kariann.
With mom Kariann Mendoza and dad Dr. Neil Price
“Behcet’s is a rare autoimmune disease that does not discriminate,” Pamela relates. “It affects men and women of all ages and backgrounds. From neurological issues similar to Multiple Sclerosis to joint pain, chronic fatigue, ulcers, and so on. Behcet’s can attack just about every part of your body. It was originally known as Silk Road Disease, with the majority of patients losing their vision after suffering from ulcers.”
“Silk Road Disease” refers to the disease’s early identification with Central Asia and the Middle East. Pamela emphasizes that Behcet’s Disease actually affects people around the globe.
Pamela’s Behcet’s journey began with a diagnosis following a flare up of painful skin ulcers in 2013. Since that time, she has found that flares tend to follow sleep deprivation and injuries. “For me, severe inflammation and lack of sleep heavily weigh on my body. When I tore a ligament and sprained my right ankle in Spring 2019, I flared within twenty-four hours and was unable to walk with ulcers and weakness for a few weeks.”
On Becoming a Ninja Warrior
Pamela competed in the 2019 season of “American Ninja Warrior” on NBC. Becoming a Ninja Warrior began with involvement in Obstacle Course Racing (OCR). “I started to do well in trail races, placing first in female divisions and Age Group races,” recounts Pamela.
She acknowledges that many competitors win OCR races but few go on to become Ninja Warriors. “Honestly, I have Instagram to thank for Ninja Warrior. A producer reached out to me and we had a call that same day. If it wasn’t for the digital community of OCR and sharing my training, I don’t think I would have been scouted for the show.”
As a contestant in 2019, she may have been overzealous at a particular obstacle. “I learned a lot from my run on Ninja Warrior. I focused so hard on passing the Shrinking Steps, I lost momentum at the rope. But when I went down, I went down with a big smile."
Her advice for Ninja Warrior success: “Run with tunnel vision and look up. Keep moving with momentum.”
Pam’s run on American Ninja Warror can be viewed @pamdrenaline on Instagram.
Pamela Price on American Ninja Warrior
A Life with Purpose and Colchicine
Ninja Warrior gave Pamela a lifelong calling and became a win for Behcet’s Disease awareness. “Ninja Warrior changed my life in so many incredible ways,” she proclaims. “It wasn’t until the show that I really began to speak out about Behcet’s Disease. I consider myself an activist now for those living with rare diseases. Opening up allowed me to connect with men and women around the world.”
Making the lives of persons with Behcet’s easier is the challenge of her life. Pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to fund research and development of therapies for rare diseases because of the unlikelihood of recouping their costs, much less profiting, with a relatively small patient population.
Behcet’s Disease treatment has been able to piggyback on the use of colchicine for gout, for which it was originally developed. (While gout is a common tormentor of Filipinos, there is no known link between gout and Behcet’s Disease.) This generic drug has been a godsend for Pamela in reducing the length of ulcer flare ups. “It cut my flare time in half. It used to take three to four weeks to heal. It now takes two weeks.”
Price advocating for Behcet’s Disease awareness.
If there is one notable legacy of President Donald J. Trump, it will be his success in regulating drug prices under Medicare. Any cost concessions won within Medicare tend to reverberate out through savings for non-Medicare consumers as well.
New regulations or the threat of them may have played a role in lowering Pamela’s payment share of a colchicine prescription below the $300 she paid out of pocket with insurance for her first prescription. Another factor may have been increased competition between the drug’s two principal manufacturers, Colcrys and Mitigare.
Colchicine worked for treating Pamela’s skin ulcers. Other individuals may have success with different therapies. “Because Behcet’s causes inflammation of blood vessels, it can affect any area of the body.” In other words, “It’s widespread and can go anywhere in the body.”
An unexpected gift of sweets from an OCR teammate during “one of the worst flare ups of my life,” led to the founding of her nonprofit. She thought, “Why not send care packages to all men and women who are suffering from a bad flare? And so, We Care When Inc. was born. It’s a growing community on Instagram @WeCareWhen. Friends with companies from skincare to jewelry help create packages.”
WeCareWhen has become a hub in connecting persons with Behcet’s Disease from all over the world, informing them of the latest research articles and findings, and enabling members to share their experiences with different therapies. “WeCareWhen has introduced me to far-reaching community of persons with Behcet’s.” She lists a few as examples to show the diversity of members. “I have seen some other Filipina women, a 16-year-old girl, an eight-year-old boy, a Black female runner, a person in Ireland.”
She encourages Positively Filipino readers to sign onto the mailing list at wecarewhen@gmail.com.
An Overscheduled, Multitasking Adrenaline Junkie
The Ninja Warrior opportunity happened long after she had established herself as a force in the beauty industry and entertainment media. Since she moved to Los Angeles in 2009, she has earned credits as the Executive Producer of the Hollywood Beauty Awards and Vice President of LATF USA an entertainment news site. Both entities fall under the auspices of Parapluie, Inc , a public relations firm.
Ballet, hip-hop dance and cross-country running occupied her during her teens through college at Marymount Manhattan College and a stint as a cultural writer in Paris. OCR came into her life three years ago and never left.
All of those time commitments plus philanthropic work have not derailed her from elite athletics. Pamela trains religiously under the tutelage of her coach, Justin Nucum of Hardkour Performance. The Filipino American obstacle course trainer considers himself the “yin to her yang.” Justin says, “Weekly trainings definitely helped develop our chemistry to understand how we attempt obstacles. She is a complete adrenaline junkie. I’m just there to calm her nerves.”
Price rock climbing (Photo by DOug Saribay)
Nothing shouts Obsession! louder than the rock climbing wall in her living room. She stays active during the pandemic by also going outside. “I often night-climb at Stoney Point (Chatsworth, California). On weekends, you can catch me running the trails in locations ranging from Hollywood to Newport.” She finds, “Fresh air is all we need to stay positive and energized.”
Justin also acts as her personal coach in the Filipino culture and cuisine. “I have more to learn about what it means to be a Filipina woman. It’s not just about cooking chicken adobo. I would love to get more involved with our community.”
Words of Encouragement for Filipino Health Workers
Before her mother, Kariann Price, became involved in theosophy as an Akashic Record Reader, she was a Registered Nurse. From her upbringing, Pamela is conscious of the sacrifices Filipino nurses and other health care professionals are making to save people from COVID-19. “I believe that Filipinos are hardworking individuals. To health care workers on the front lines, we salute you today and every day.”
Anthony Maddela
As the pandemic rages, Anthony Maddela works out outdoors at Trifit in Santa Monica and works indoors at the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles in Watts. He has a BTS Army wife in health care advertising, a bird-loving daughter in college and a skater son in high school.
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