At the age of six, I experienced a head trauma. My skull cracked open after an accidental fall. I was rushed straight into the emergency room, my mother drowning herself in tears while covering my head with a large, damp cloth. Fortunately, a surgeon was able to repair the injury; at least the physical part. However, approximately two years later is when everything changed... My first seizure occurred at the age of eight. I was diagnosed with epilepsy. This seemed to be correlated to the injury I experienced two years prior, however, it was too late to reverse. Throughout childhood and teen years, I would have as many as eight seizures per day. It affected my quality of life as I was considered disabled. There seemed to be no positive outlook towards the future while living nearly everyday with restrictions, discrimination, and fear. After undergoing both brain surgery and a neurological implant, my quality of life dwindled even more. Being on six different medications was draining my energy. Additionally, I continued to be bullied in school for being different than others. I allowed the depressed emotions to take over me and developed a binge eating disorder. By the time I was in 12th grade, I was already overweight. Considering I made sure only to eat what are considered healthy/clean foods, the fact that I became overweight in the first place confused me. I even performed hours of cardio on a weekly basis with no improvement. At this point, I was being bullied not only for my medical condition but for my size as well. High school was a nightmare of hospitalizations, cruel people, discrimination, and yo-yo dieting. Much of this continued after high school when I enrolled in tech school. By 2012, I was obese. Moreover, I had already experienced my fourth break-up. The stress continued to pile on; I almost committed suicide...
I was desperate. By the end of 2013, I received a reality check after my first DEXA scan when I was weighing at almost 200 pounds and over 40% body fat. To make matters worse, Type 2 diabetes runs rampant in my dad's family. As 2014 began, I made a lifestyle change by eating all the foods I loved (in moderation) and lifting weights in the gym. The atmosphere was amazing and the feeling couldn't be explained. I was surrounded by very lean gym members, a few literally shredded. They were full of energy, excitement, and enthusiasm (with a mentally strong attitude). From that day, I was determined to make a change, a positive one. By 2015, I had already dropped over 70 pounds and over half of my body fat and have been doing recomp and maintenance since. I make sure to include and enjoy all of my favorite foods on a daily basis instead of limiting myself to certain food groups (which I've now realized is what led me to becoming overweight in the first place when I was younger).
Fast-forward to today and I've already made improvements in health, physique, and education on general bodybuilding with the help of research, effort, experience, and occasional support. With confidence, I've also gotten back on my feet and now living beachside in a beautiful condo and will be graduating college in 2018.
Discovering bodybuilding has helped me re-gain my energy, my confidence, and my overall health. Moreover, the decrease in stress has led to a decrease in seizures. Meditation has also been a beneficial exercise (mentally). What I've learned is that life has MANY obstacles (some more challenging than others). Two options are either remaining trapped in a vicious cycle of sorrow and hopelessness or to get out of the situation by following a passion. Life is way too short for negativity, so never give up. I surely didn't.

>Optimism
>Energy
>Strength gains
>Optimal health