The peak
480 pounds. No filter.
I got heavy enough that the scale stopped being a number and started being a warning. I didn't become HulkyDad because I had it figured out. I started documenting because I didn't.
Story
One continuous story.
Weight loss. Fatherhood. Cancer. Same guy on the same camera, transparent on purpose.
The work
220 pounds down.
Not a six week transformation montage. Real food, real workouts, real bad days, and a camera that didn't lie. The point was never perfection. It was proof that a dad of seven could start anyway.
Dad of 7
Seven kids. One roof.
One of my boys was born with holes in his heart, spent about 62 days in the NICU, and was later diagnosed with autism. That chapter changed how I talk about strength. My legal name and the kids' full identities stay offline on purpose.
2026
Aggressive testicular cancer.
Swelling and pain showed up around September 2025. I pushed through it. April 7: radical right orchiectomy. Mixed germ cell tumor, stage 1B, high risk nonseminoma. I chose BEP chemo. Last infusion June 10. I rang the bell.
After the bell
ICU within 24 hours.
103°F fever. Blood pressure crashing. Infection and sepsis. I nearly died. Lost my hair and a 12 year beard. July 7: back in for gallbladder removal after severe infection, bile leak, drain, then a stent. Three procedures. Home now. Recovering. Lifting restrictions. About four months out of work.
Now
Still here. Still building.
I'm not asking for pity. I'm asking for a bridge: living costs while I heal, and a longer runway to keep creating tools for the same community that walked this with me.
If this story lands, help keep the lights on.
The GoFundMe covers living costs while I recover, not medical bills. $16,246 raised of $18K goal (444 donations).