Blast from the Past

It’s been a few years since I’ve posted to this blog and a lot has happened since then. I’m still training hard and heavy and this site allows me access to my lifting program wherever I am. I train at home, work, and elsewhere and many times I need to look back at what I’ve done before in order to see what weights/numbers I need to strive for and beat. Having this site affords me an easy log of past performances….and if someone can gain some knowledge at my expense, so be it.

 Wow my last post was November 2013! My last competition was the “Don Reinhoudt Strongman Classic” back in July 2013. I’ll try and make a long story……short. In December of that same year, I was diagnosed with throat cancer. Because of some other complications, the tumor was inoperable so I had to go thru many weeks of intensive radiation and chemotherapy. It almost killed me and I lost about 100 pounds during the treatment. By the grace and strength of my Lord, my King, and my God Jesus Christ I am alive today. I say it was His strength because by week 3 of the radiation……I had no strength. I couldn’t eat, drink, or swallow and could barely walk 10 feet without having to sit down. I put it all in His hands and knew He would get me thru it……..and He did.

 Since I couldn’t swallow I had a feeding tube put in for several months and got my nutrition pumped directly into my stomach. Once the cancer was gone and I was able to swallow, they removed the stomach tube. I started lifting weights again and it was a very humbling experience. I started with just a 45 lbs. barbell and could barely lift it overhead for a few repetitions. I couldn’t do many not only because I was so weak, but because fluid would spurt out of the hole I still had in my abdomen from the stomach tube. It was kind of cartoonish, funny, and sick all at the same time. The hole finally healed and I slowly began the journey of becoming strong again. There were a few more bumps in the road, but we made it.

 I’ve been consistently training for about a year now and decided the best way to gain passion was to enter a powerlifting meet. I’m still training strongman events as well, but it’s been difficult. One of the side effects from all of the radiation I endured was that it damaged my salivary glands. I typically always have a very dry mouth and the hard breathing associated with strongman events is tough. When I get breathing heavy I usually start gagging and sometimes throw up. So I “try to” limit how hard I push myself.

 Thanks to all my family and friends, Greenfield Baptist Church, St. Boniface Church, Cherry Corner Bible Church, Freedom Christian Center, and the underground church in Kuwait for all of your prayers. God bless you all!