“The diagnosis is rare, but we were told to ‘enjoy every day he felt well,’” Angela added. “Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be his only diagnosis. At age 8, they found his aorta had dilated. He’s had lung issues, heart issues, growth issues, connective tissue problems. As his mom, I dislike that his innocence was cut short by hearing difficult things from his doctors and from knowing that his life isn’t like all of his friends. Even when everything seemed to be against him, his FIGHT and zeal for life was huge.”

Helene developed a severe case of depression and anxiety. Eventually, it led to the use of prescription medication. 

“It wasn’t until I was about 21 that I fully realized the damage I’d done,” she said. “I was just shy of 300 pounds at 5-4, in a miserable relationship, and was angry and depressed.”  I developed a pretty severe case of depression and anxiety which led to the use of prescription medication.”

“As soon as I put an APEMAN shirt or belt on, I felt like I wasn’t that skinny kid anymore,” Mark said. “I felt like I could grind through anything. I realized it wasn’t about if I was skinny or not, but about improving my self-worth and how I looked at myself every day. I still strive to be stronger but at the end of the day, I’ve found something that helps make me fully happy.”

Not coincidentally, when Mark started gaining confidence through powerlifting, other areas of his life started to drastically improve. He is now happily a music teacher and continuing along his APEMAN journey. 

“It turns out I had multiple herniated discs in my lower back,” Matthew said. “I also had to get part of my neck replaced because of the amount of nerve damage.”

Months and months of intense rehab followed, and that’s when Matthew fell in love with both powerlifting and MMA.