Ifbb pro bodybuilder matthew schmidt brings us his story as he details the obstacles he overcame, the same difficulties that inspired his overall victory in the 2019 npc competition. Schmidt, also a police officer from texas, had some health issues on his way to becoming a champion, against all odds. But nothing can stop his determination to defy the odds and come out on top in one of the biggest bodybuilding competitions in the world.
Let's listen to this very inspiring story.
My name is matthew schmidt, i am 35 years old and i am a police officer in the suburbs of houston, texas. I went to catholic school for 12 years, majoring in criminal justice and sociology. During college, i played football and baseball. I was most valuable player in every game for two seasons on the college football team and was the scoring leader both seasons. In baseball, i also had the second highest batting average on the baseball team, something my teammates didn't anticipate until they saw me play because they thought i was too big and too muscular to be too flexible.
After the baseball and football seasons, i decided to enter my first bodybuilding competition (kalamazoo show) in my junior year of college in 2006. I weighed 188 lbs (about 85 kg) and out of 10 people, i won first place in the light heavyweight class. Shortly after the competition, i was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis can affect different parts of the colon. In more severe cases the whole colon can be affected, and i happened to be in this bad situation.
For the next two years i battled with ulcerative colitis and tried all the medications mentioned in the book. The last one required me to sit in a hospital chair three times a week for three hours each time, administering drugs intravenously. To no avail. I graduated in 2008 and by then my "Emergency" Had reached the point where i could hardly leave the house.
It was inevitable that i would get colon cancer. I decided to consult the best colorectal surgeon in the country at the cleveland clinic. The surgeon explained the procedure and recommended that my entire colon be removed and a temporary ileostomy bag be prepared and left in place for several months until the area healed and he could reconnect my small intestine to my rectum and remove the ileostomy bag. The surgeon also advised of potential complications and the possibility of having a permanent ileostomy bag.
My situation was so bad that i decided to take the risk and have the surgery. This surgery was supposed to consist of two procedures.
One was to remove the colon and put the bag on, and the other was to remove the bag and reconnect the small intestine to the rectum.
A few days after the first operation, i developed a severe infection and sepsis.
I had seven surgeries in 12 weeks but i survived. With 8 feet (about 2.4 metres) of intestine missing, life went on as usual.
In 2011, i was hired by the department of homeland security and have been working in law enforcement in texas ever since. I have competed successfully in several powerlifting and bodybuilding competitions over the past 8 years and in 2014 i placed 5th in the traditional 220lb class powerlifting competition with a total weight of 1906lbs (approx. 864kg). I have won all of my bodybuilding competitions overall, except for 3 national level competitions, where i have been a consistent top 5 finisher.
In 2018, i was preparing for my fourth national competition at the miami npc competition. I had intestinal obstruction issues after eating too much broccoli for less than two weeks, after which i spent almost a week in hospital and was discharged after they sucked everything out of my stomach with an ng tube (a stomach tube). But the stomach pains continued and worsened for two days. I then had an ambulance come to my house to pick me up and take me to a&e. The scan showed a perforated bowel. I was then rushed to the intensive care unit for emergency surgery. As laparoscopic surgery was not possible, the surgeon had to make a 12-inch vertical incision in my stomach and remove a small portion of my small intestine.
Remarkably, the surgeon was able to reattach the small intestine without me having to use a makeshift pouch again. I lost 60 pounds (about 27 kg) in about two weeks. My surgeon said i would never be able to compete again. He was unaware of my plans to race in the 2019 npc. Incredibly, my recovery began.
I regained most of my weight within 3-4 months.
From there, i had 4 months to improve as much as i could while staying healthy and not tearing my cuts. I then decided to use the last 4 months (20 weeks) to start getting back to being my best as soon as possible.
The npc race was where i wanted to be. My previous bad condition was unbearable. I've been dreaming of this day since i was lying in a hospital bed a year ago. After comparing and my 30-second solo performance, i was called to centre stage for the first time and didn't move from there. When i walked off the stage, i was already being congratulated. Hunter labrada had a friend who had helped me prepare for the strength training exercises. I saw hunter come backstage and look around energetically. I thought he was looking for his friend. He locked eyes with me for a moment and waved eagerly for me to come over.
As i approached hunter, he said, "You're going to win the whole thing."
During the lunch break, i had to do a second cardio session. For the last 11 months, i've been a complete machine. Anyway, from then on we just fought for every second of it. At around 10pm on this night, i got my ifbb pro card and finished first in the weight class. Less than an hour later, bob cicerillo announced that i had won the overall national title and the judges unanimously approved my decision.
I should also note that i always trained alone and dieted by myself.
The above is matthew schmidt's confession, his story is truly inspiring and he has endured many struggles to get to where he is today. We are fortunate that schmidt has shared his journey with us. And to let us know how hard this perseverance has been and we wish him good health and continued success in the sport of bodybuilding.
More importantly, all those who beat the odds and put in the work for their goals should be respected!