As CrossFit OG Rob Orlando Battles Cancer, Community Launches Unique Fundraiser Challenge
Four-time CrossFit Games athlete and true OG Rob Orlando has been an integral part of our sport and community from the very beginning.
- His first CrossFit Games was in 2009, the third iteration of the competition, held at Dave Castro’s ranch in Aromas, CA. He finished 22nd out of 50 men who competed, including CrossFit legends Chris Spealler, Josh Everett, Jason Khalipa, and Matt Chan.
After three consecutive years competing as an individual, he moved into the Age Group division and finished 11th in the 40-44 category at the 2016 CrossFit Games. However, his fitness and enthusiasm for the sport stayed strong even after he stopped competing. He kept training and running at Hybrid Athletics, an affiliate in Connecticut.
Just last January, during training, Orlando set a new powerlifting total PR of 1,525 pounds — including a 370-pound bench press, a 550-pound squat, and a 605-pound deadlift. The very next day, he was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in his lower jaw and lymph nodes.
The details: Orlando began treatment in February, starting with an aggressive surgery that involved removing parts of his jaw, harvesting bone from his fibula, and performing skin grafts.
Despite numbness and paralysis on the right side of his face, no sensation in his left foot, and nerve damage to his upper body, Orlando returned to his gym just three weeks after surgery to rehab and start training again.
- A lifetime of strength training allowed him to back-squat 500 pounds exactly six weeks after the operation.
Then, in March, the next phase began, which included radiation, chemotherapy, speech therapy, and additional rehabilitation and rebuilding. Hybrid Athletics, Orlando’s gym for 17 years, has been able to operate in his absence thanks to its close-knit community of members and coaches.
Orlando continues his treatments regularly, which take their toll not only physically and mentally but also financially. However, CrossFit legends like Dan Bailey, Rich Froning, Jason Khalipa, Annie Thorisdottir, Matt Chan, Josh Everett, Mikko Salo, Chris Spealler, Kristen Clever, Annie Sakamoto, Adrian Bozman, Sam Briggs, Tanya Wagner, and Becca Voigt Miller have found a way to help – the “Rob Orlando Deadlift Cold Bar Challenge.”
How it works: Gyms or individuals who want to participate set up a barbell — one for men, one for women — with simple rules: each time you come to train, drop your bag and lift the bar. Every day, add more weight until you can’t lift it anymore.
- When you hit your max, you donate a set amount per pound (or kilo) lifted to the GoFundMe.
There’s no timeline or cutoff — the fundraiser stays open indefinitely. As of this writing, the effort has raised $9,613, with a goal of $40,000.
As Mathew Palmieri, the organizer of the GoFundMe account and challenge, described Orlando:
- “Rob has always been the ultimate competitor and warrior. The consummate family man, friend, mentor, coach, and strongman extraordinaire has been battling a difficult cancer diagnosis since January 2025, enduring a comprehensive surgery, numerous chemotherapy treatments, and extensive radiation. Despite all of this, he continues to fight and show everyone just how tough and strong he really is.”
He concluded: “It is with that in mind, along with Rob’s Hybrid community in Monroe, Connecticut, fans across the world, and with help from his OG CrossFit Legend friends, the ‘Rob Orlando Deadlift Cold Bar Challenge’ is born to assist Rob and family.”
Featured image: Rob Orlando
