‘If you stop dreaming, get close to the coffin:’ Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Alan Bonami continues to fight

Former boxer Alan Bonami has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for more than eight years and is going through an even more difficult period, as he recovers from divorce and professional bankruptcy, but it will take more to send him to the carpet forever.

“My dream is to live long and take care of myself as best I can. If I stop dreaming, I get close to the coffin,” sums up the person who until 2019 ran with his ex-wife three studios offering yoga, meditation and martial arts in Montreal, Sherbrooke and Magog.

Bonami, 57, is not hiding it: he suffers from a degenerative disease, but by taking care of his diet and staying active, he puts the odds on his side. He wants to prolong his existence despite the tremors that rarely stop.

Among his most recent dreams, he realized writing a book that chronicled a busy career in the worlds of Karate, Kickboxing and Boxing. The title is evocative: My life is a fight.

“I made this book for my children, Understanding My Reason for Living, sums up the man who is a father of three boys, Davin, 27, Royan, 14, and Dylan, 12. I want to be remembered as a working person, someone with a heart.”

Leap in time

The book launched at Déli Beaubien on Tuesday afternoon. This is the restaurant that was for a long time the office of the late boxing promoter Régis Lévesque.

“I’m as nervous as I was before a fight,” smiled Bonami, co-author of the book with his partner Luc Bertrand.

Tuesday’s event provided a leap in time, to a time when fights between local athletes were in the spotlight.

Launch day, October 25, wasn’t a coincidence. On this date, in 1990, Bonami enjoyed the biggest victory of his career in a boxing ring, against Davy Hilton. It was in the Montreal forum.

“I came from the martial arts world and when it came time to promote the fight, Regis Levsk was not happy because I tended to praise the opponent. He was like, ‘Stop telling him he’s good! Tell him you’re going to rip his head off!'”

good luck

Poonami smiles as she dives into her old memories, but behind the fighter hides a fragile man. This is evidenced by the stiffness of his muscles and loss of balance, as well as the blurring of vision coming from his right eye.

“Happiness is not a word I would choose to describe myself now, but I consider myself lucky,” he said. And when you consider yourself lucky, you are already a little happier.”

In September 2023, Bonnamie will celebrate her fiftieth birthday^e Birthday on a tatami. Despite the illness, he plans to celebrate while traveling to Japan to get his sixth dan in karate.

“I want to inspire people to take on challenges, but to get there you have to work hard, believe in yourself, and do what you love,” he concluded. My kids, I never wanted them to box. There is a high risk of injury. But in my case, I would do the same. I’m proud of who I am.”