DAYTON, Ohio — Pushups U.S. Army veteran Nathan Tirey does aren’t for fun or fitness. They have a purpose.

Tirey does them as a tribute to those diagnosed with the most common form of cancer in the U.S., chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), something that he was diagnosed with unexpectedly.

“If you’re not really paying attention and you just grind through stuff, you just think, ‘Oh I’m sick, no big deal. I’ll get over it, or I have an infection,’ or you always rationalize it in your mind,” Tirey said. “You never think it’s anything serious but sometimes it is.” 

Tirey said he has always been generally healthy, so much so he rarely went to the doctor. But when he noticed his health started to change, that’s when he knew it was time to get looked at. 

“That just started the whirlwind of tests and everything, and it turns out that I had chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is called CLL,” he said. “The way it presents itself in the body over time is the swollen lymph nodes, the fatigue and all those things that come with it.” 

When he was diagnosed, there was no time to feel sorry for himself — but he admits it was a scary time for him and his family.

“The doctors were telling me, like, ‘hey, a couple more weeks you would have been gone. No way we would have been able to bring you back from that,’” Tirey said. “My blood levels were so low I was like an accident victim that lost a ton of blood.” 

Tirey, a Vandalia resident, was referred to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he was treated by hematologist Jennifer A. Woyach, M.D. 

“It is a disease that we don’t consider curable in most cases,” Woyach said. “Though we do have a number of very effective therapies, and people who are diagnosed with CLL can expect to live with these therapies for many years.”

Tirey was enrolled in a clinical trial to treat his cancer. Shortly after, he said he started feeling much better, and decided to take his diagnosis and use it to inspire others. 

“176,200 people get diagnosed with a blood cancer every year in the U.S.,” Tirey said. “I kept thinking about the number, and I kept thinking about my situation, and I kept thinking how cool would it be if I did that many pushups while I’m in treatment for this disease.” 

Pushup, after pushup, and day after day, Tirey chipped away at his goal — completing roughly 600 pushups each day and documenting it all on YouTube. 

Dr. Woyach said his tribute is incredible. 

“Really importantly shows that somebody could be treated for CLL, like he is, and do something like a pushup challenge, working full-time, being present with his family and really living his life as if he wasn’t on treatment for cancer,” Woyach said. 

Nine months after he started this journey, he reached his goal with his kids and wife by his side. 

“It was just a great journey,” Tirey said. “It really kept my mind on something else. As the months went on I really wanted to hit the Oct. 3 date, because that’s the day I went to the emergency room and found out I had this. You know, I thought man how cool would it be for the anniversary of that day to finish something like this.”

Tirey hopes people can look at his story and feel motivated to never give up. 

“It’s never too late to be a savage, alright,” he said. “You may think you’re in the worst possible situation but if you change your mind set a little bit and take time to reflect on the small victories, you’ll be surprised at how much you can actually accomplish.”

Tirey continues to push through his treatments, as CLL doesn’t go away, but his prognosis is much improved thanks to the treatment and support he has received.

“Just be grateful for every day that you have,” Tirey said.