Destrehan’s Stone Edler estimates he has broken at least 15 bones during his time as a Motocross competitor, so he knows physical risk is simply part of the game.
But that’s the twist of it all: that danger itself may be exactly what saved Edler’s life.
A crash during a 2012 competition led to Edler having a CAT scan to assess his injuries. That scan revealed Edler had an 11.5 centimeter mass in his throat and led to an eventual diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
He had to abandon his dirt bike on his road to recovery, something he said was about as difficult to deal with as undergoing the treatment itself. But he stayed positive, beat the illness into remission, and approximately two years later, earned the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship held in Tennessee.
The irony of those circumstances isn’t lost on Edler. Though in hindsight he says he could recognize symptoms, specifically headaches and fatigue, he attributed much of that to general wear and tear from competition.
“I’ve always said that you can get hurt on a dirt bike and you just accept it can happen. It’s crazy that it may have actually saved my life,” Edler said. “It’s something we may not have found for a long time (without the CAT scan).”
The 21-year-old is now a professional Motocross competitor after officially turning pro less than two years after his national championship win.
His first two attempts to enter that tournament were denied by misfortune, one by a broken arm, the other by his cancer diagnosis. Once he finally entered, he won it all.
“It was a dream come true … turning pro was another,” Edler said. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s been great to get out there and make it happen.”
The sport is a form of off-road motorcycle race held on enclosed courses ripe with jumps, sharp turns and unique terrain. He acknowledges it takes a specific type of person to get into Motocross. It’s not for the fearful.
“You know you can get hurt anytime you go out there. It’s worth it to some of us, I guess,” he said.
He said he hasn’t kept track of an official count of injuries throughout his career, but he knows there have been several.
“I’ve definitely had 15 broken bones, minimum,” he said. “My wrist, ribs, collarbones, shoulder blade, I’ve got compressed discs in my back, I broke my femur …. Yeah, definitely clear of 15. Anytime I get hurt, I just find the best doctor for it and get it fixed, and then I get back out there.”
He developed an interest in the sport at the age of 5, and eventually got involved as a way to keep busy. He noted his father guided him and his brothers to each take up activities “to keep us out of trouble.” It could have been hunting, a traditional team sport or some other hobby, but Motocross was what stuck.
“We’d just do it locally, then we realized there was more out there,” Edler said. “We started going to Texas every weekend, then we ventured out from there.”
Traveling to compete at different venues around the country — and even the world — is among Edler’s favorite parts of doing what he does.
“I’ve been able to see so many things and go to so many different places,” he said. “Having all those experiences is something I’d never trade.”
When he was battling cancer and sidelined from competition, he and his father got a boat and took up fishing as an alternative, until he beat the illness.
“Not being able to ride my bike was one of the toughest parts,” Edler said. “But I just tried to stay positive and think positive thoughts.”
While that battle is in his rearview mirror, Edler finds himself away from competition again for the first time in a while. He had surgery to repair an injured shoulder in late December, the injury he said culminated from damage to his arm after two separate breaks. He pushed through the pain before finally deciding to address the injury, and he hopes once he returns — his goal is to be back by the end of the year — he’ll be that much better as a pain-free competitor.
“I’ll be looking to do better in main events, to get out there and get in as many as I can,” he said. “After that, it’s to complete a year, stay healthy and make my mark.”
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