MIKA IMMONEN ICEMAN

WARRIOR, CHAMPION, & FIGHTER

FACING ADVERSITY WITH THE STRENGTH OF A WARRIOR, DETERMINATION OF A CHAMPION, AND THE COURAGE OF A FIGHTER.

Alegend in his own right and loved across the globe, the Finnish billiards legend Mika Immonen is fighting the greatest match of his life with an alien invader that has taken root in his body. The proper terminology for what has invaded his body is called Stage 4 Colorectal Carcinoma or Colon Cancer, which was discovered through imaging and a biopsy in Costa Rica.

In a conversation with Mika Immonen, he stated, “I first started feeling pain (both back and pelvis area) in Puerto Rico in early November. Went to the ER there. They brushed it off as hemorrhoids. I got some meds, but it obviously wasn’t helping. Also, a glitch in my insurance in the USA made it tricky and very costly to get treatment. Doctors were super booked, and it wasn’t even possible to see a specialist without a 6-week wait. I still went to Japan in the middle of November because, despite the pain, thinking the worst case, I’d go to a hospital there, which I ended up doing with the help of my buddy Naoyuki Oi.”

Mika discusses the All-Japan Championship and states, “I suffered a first-round loss in Japan, and that’s the day I went to the ER there. Naoyuki looked at me and said, “That’s enough! We are going to the hospital now…” then I won three matches in the loser bracket to make the final 64. In the first single knockout round, I got revenge on the guy who beat me in the first round. Then, I won against Wu Kun Lin and Masato Yoshioka to book my place in the quarterfinals. I ran out of steam finally, with excruciating pain, sleep deprivation, dehydration & weight loss pulling me down. Yapp got me in the end, but I was in no shape to play. Still getting into the quarterfinals, there was one of my greatest achievements.” In Japan, they did a CAT scan and told Mika he would need medical attention ASAP.

Mika’s itinerary took him to Costa Rica next, where he called his friend, who he knew as one of his students and was a doctor and worked at the ER. They were friends, but Immonen never dug into the details as to what type of doctor his friend was. His friend told him, I am an Oncologist, so I’m going to check you out personally; I’ve been in this field for 30 years. When Immonen first got to the hospital, his doctor put him on a saline IV drip and a steroid shot because he was in such bad shape. Immonen had lost 20 pounds in a matter of 6 weeks. Mika’s doctor fast-tracked all the tests and procedures: he had an MRI, PET scan, endoscopy, biopsy, biopsy results, diagnosis, and prognosis, including surgery for the port in his chest and the first Chemo within ten days. All while playing one more tournament, which Immonen finished in the semifinals. Immonen stated, “And with all the pain and sleep deprivation, I didn’t want to let down my fans.”

Mika played the tournament while undergoing all the tests, and thanks to the promoter, they scheduled his matches around his tests.

In a Facebook post, Mika stated, “Finally, in Costa Rica, the biopsy & imaging revealed a stage IV cancer diagnosis. My oncologists have informed me that this type of cancer, while very serious, responds well to treatment. Although I have an arduous wellness journey before me, I hope to be back in action as soon as practically possible.”

While in Costa Rica, Immonen was joined by his girlfriend, Mee, and his mother, Laura. Immonen stated, “Honestly, I don’t think I could have made it without them. Also, it was nice to catch up on lost time with Mom. This is the most I’ve seen her in 30 years. She just flew back to Finland after two months.”

Mika gave SPM Billiards the honor of interviewing him once with Dominic Esposito and Kathryn Day sat in for one interview and in the second interview, Kathryn Day talked with Mika in a casual conversation while Mika sat in a New York Café after his third treatment of Chemo, which he had to travel from New York to Costa Rica to receive. Immonen has had three treatments in Costa Rica. The Oncologist in Costa Rica has been of considerable help to Immonen, dropping everything and litterally moving heaven and earth to make sure that Mika got his third treatment while Mika was trying to get into an Oncologist in New York.

Mika now has set appointments in New York which will take the stress off his body from the traveling and unknown appts. It is difficult to get settled after being on tour and getting a diagnosis of Cancer in another country. Immonen stated in the interview with Kat that he would finally have his first oncology appt the next day. In a later message, Immonen has now received his fourth Chemo treatment, which would have been on Thursday, February 8, 2024.

Immonen is receiving treatments every two weeks and is now halfway through. He just had his fourth treatment last week. The treatment could run from

8 to 12, depending on what the next tests show. Immonen has set a realistic goal of returning to the UK Open in May of 2024.

In the latest interview with Mika Immonen, we discussed a variety of topics. We talked about his bucket list of things he wants to do and what he has done, including Ice Baths and tournament wins.

In our first interview with Dominic Esposito, Mika was going to ride a horse on the beach in Costa Rica after the interview! He accomplished that and had a lovely ride with friends! You can see that interview here. https://youtu.be/ S16JXzB7S8E?si=TPYQs6Fzc96WUvN_

Mika explained the benefits of Ice Baths, and the word he used is the Anterior Mid Cingulate Cortex, which plays a role in your fight or flight moments and allows you to handle stress. Ice baths help to strengthen the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, which plays a role in your thinking under stress, such as tournament conditions, to help the player think well under stressful conditions while playing in a winning match. Ice baths have many other benefits, which are discussed in the interview with Kat. https:// youtu.be/jBrRa2v0ig8?si=qoEHUIrY1fkJOzSa

In the second interview with Mika, he shared getting his first tattoo since being back in New York, “Shadowtight!” another item on his bucket list! It is a great tattoo that symbolizes how a rack of balls is so tight that with no gaps, shadow-tight or the strong bond and friendship is so tight with no gaps it is a metaphor. The S with the knife going through also symbolizes Sisu’s fighting spirit, determination, and never giving up. To Mika, this has so much meaning.

Sisu is that unbelievable force that we find deep within ourselves, which we find in times when we have emotionally, physically, and psychologically used up our endurance. We dig down and find the strength of will, determination, and perseverance, as well as act rationally when faced with adversity. In an article in the BBC titled ‘Sisu: The Finnish art of inner strength.’ Olga Smirnova writes, “We all have these moments when we all need to reach beyond what we think we are capable of. At the end of physical, emotional, and psychological endurance. And then we have some kind of force that allows us to continue even when we thought we couldn’t,” says Lahti. For Finns, that ‘second wind’ of inner strength is Sisu.”

Mika would also like to accomplish parachuting and work on a biography of his story his way with the help of a professional writer.

Mika talked about how he started playing pool with a group of friends growing up, and when he got good enough, he started advancing to a new level. He never had a traditional coach. We went on to discuss his favorite table to play on, and he likes Diamond and the old-school Brunswick tables.

Immonen’s most favorite win was his first world championship win! Nothing can ever beat that first win! Then, the following year’s US Open defense, winning 14 in a row from the losing side and defending his title, is also very precious, and it’s a record that won’t be beaten. We went on to discuss the Mosconi Cup. He played 15 Mosconi Cups. His favorite win in the Mosconi Cup was getting the MVP in 2008, and it was sinking the winning 9 against SVB! Which was the second-best feeling!

His next big win that he would like to get under his belt is The World 8 Ball! He would love to add that to his list of wins! A 1-pocket title would be a nice addition to his wins as well!

Mika wants to express his gratitude to the pool community for their love and support. He would like to extend a special thanks to Jeanette Lee for the heart-warming gesture she made on his GoFundMe account, which touched his heart and left him speechless. Mika is fighting hard and staying positive, and he is immensely grateful for the network of friends and family who are standing behind him during this difficult time.

You can help Mika Immonen with medical costs by going to his GoFundMe page at: https:// gofund.me/da06d27e