I am man with many layers and passions. I was fortunate to serve my county for 22 years in the United States NAVY. During my service I traveled to many countries and continents, and to go witness firsthand the beauty in cultures, and God’s creation. I also got to learn a great deal about myself, as often I had many nights, I was able to ponder while looking at the starts and plan for a future after the military. Never in a million years did I imagine I would be a professional bodybuilding nor that I would be diagnose with an Autoimmune disease. Yet, I am a firm believer that God doesn’t give us anything we cannot handle, and I am also certain that he chose me for reasons that even today, are not all answered, but that I know I was destine to overcome.
As I mentioned I have many passions, that drive me, but without a doubt the most important piece that molded me to the man I am today is my mother’s and grandmother’s upbringing. Born and rise in the South, as black man can be hard, and indeed it was hard. Often, I saw my mother and grandmother slave away to make ends-meet. I remember many hungry nights, where I had to eat was my dreams and aspirations of making it and giving the two ladies of my life all that money could buy. I really wanted to make them proud, I wanted to make sure they knew their hard-work and dedication to me and my siblings was not in vain. Even to this day, I often think of me as that kid, who was so hungry and eager to change the life of those ladies, a kid starving to make it out. Although my grandmother is no longer with us, and I have since been very blessed and fortune, things were never easy, I had to fight and persevere to have what I have today. Regardless I am still fortunate to have my mother alive, and to have her tell me she is proud of me is the best feeling in this world. Believe it or not I am a “mama’s boy” and I can say that proudly with a smile and warm heart.
Living with MS is not easy, every day I wake up aching and in pain. The pain does not go away even with medication. All It does is mask it so it is more tolerable and less of a handicap to my daily life. Some the effect of MS are tougher to handle than others, not only for me but those who I love and interact with me day by day. Mood swings and exhaustion are on the daily menu of MS, also is my skeletal muscles and when MS really wants to serve a hardy plate muscle spams that can last up to 20 minutes. Oh yes! Let me not forget my urge to pee every so often, as a weak bladder is on of the side effects of MS. But, with it all I am still fortunate to walk, not be constraint to a wheelchair or be bedridden. And most importantly being able to do what I love to do, play with my kids, dance with my soon to be wife, go on walks with her, and lift heavy! Yep lift heavy heavy weights and for a few moments forget I have MS.
Working out has always been a part of my life, I was an athlete since the age of 12. I a football player, and I was really good! So much that won the all-American H.S blue-chipper award as junior. I played college football at Louisiana State University, but due to injuries I was unable to further my career as Football Player. After graduating college is when I decided to join the United State Navy, during this time I discovered powerlifting in soon after that professional body building. I did my first Bodybuilding competition while station overseas in Yamato Japan back in 2007. I been competing ever since. I was fortune to still be able to pursue bodybuilding by competing around the world while still being in the U.S Navy. Once I retired from the military in 2012, I relocated to California and continue to train and compete as a bodybuilder. And all the sudden the unthinkable happen, I was diagnosed with MS in November of 2015. I was bedridden for 8 months and gained almost 100 pound due to all the medications and steroids I was on. Recovering from those 8 months was not easy, during this time I had to learn how to walk and speak again. I also had to gain my self-confidence and determination because I knew I did not have a choice but to fight back. While in recovery I relapse two times, and these two times was while at the gym, as I was trying to make my come back. So by August 2017 I was stepping on stage with my best physic yet, and I won the overall at this show. I will never forget this day, as I proved to myself, my mother, siblings and sons I was a fighter ready to continue to battle. Since then I been killing it in and out the stage.