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you imagine you're paying an athlete to
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look a certain way
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and there's a dark side to what they
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have to do a legendary bodybuilder
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hailed as one of the greatest ever had
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his leg amputated to save his life but
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that is not the only adversity that has
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striked him in the recent past today we
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dive deep into the courageous Flex
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Wheeler's troubled life we also look at
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how he himself admitted to having lost
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everything top to bottom Flex wheeler
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won numerous competitive titles during
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the 1990s including the Arnold Classic
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four times and Ironman Pro five times he
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was lauded for his body symmetry and
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strength and his pure record-breaking
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Ronnie Coleman said he was the best
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bodybuilder he had ever competed against
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while Arnold Schwarzenegger called him
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one of the greatest bodybuilders he had
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ever witnessed but in 2019 the industry
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was left in shock when wheeler had to
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undergo emergency surgery to amputate
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his lower right leg otherwise he could
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pass away when I found out I had the
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disease in 99 it was so rare at that
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time before they even confronted me and
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told me about it wheeler said that it
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was either losing his leg or losing his
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life a decision Vision that was due to
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escalating circulation difficulties that
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had reached a dangerous point he said at
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that time the doctor just stared at me
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and I started crying because I knew she
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said Flex were there so I said just take
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it wheeler was the inaugural recipient
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of the Olympia inspiration and courage
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award in 2020 given to bodybuilders
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displaying courage when facing adversity
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born Kenneth wheeler in Fresno
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California in 1965 he practiced martial
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arts in his teens before becoming a
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police officer soon after he began a
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successful bodybuilding career and was
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given the nickname Flex because he could
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do a full split in 1994 he nearly passed
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away in a car accident he also admitted
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taking anabolic steroids to enhance his
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physique I put on like 30 pounds and I
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was like is this safe I remember asking
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one of the old-timers and he goes don't
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stop son don't stop keep going and I'm
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like yeah but look what's happening I
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had stretch marks everywhere they were
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so painful they are like big worms you
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can still see them on my forearm in
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between my legs did I do this to my
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based on what I use what I've done you
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know if I if I pissed into bed then I go
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to sleep earlier troubles he was earlier
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diagnosed with unexplainable kidney
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failure in 1999 and his hands feet and
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even genitals began to excessively swell
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our final had disease and you know
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that was rough
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because all my contracts left they ran
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like the black plague wheeler called his
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condition hereditary but others have
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said that his steroid use may have
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contributed to it despite many
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procedures to try and fix his
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circulation problems in the end he was
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left with no choice but have his leg
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partly amputated he could even have more
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limbs removed in the future he says I'm
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at risk of losing my left leg I'm also
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at risk of losing my right arm my left
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arm because it attacks your limbs
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wheeler who retired from action in 2000
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posted a video of himself post operation
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back in the gym in it he could be seen
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lifting weights including at one point
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using his prosthetic right leg one
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caption read I will not be denied so
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they all ran like the plague so I just
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lost everything in my Mansion my car I
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was forced from that to have to go and
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stand with my mother-in-law a legacy
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Left Behind Flex wheeler remains to be
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one of the greatest bodybuilders to have
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ever graced the bodybuilding stage even
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today many bodybuilding historians and
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fans cannot believe that he did not win
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at least one mystery Olympia title but
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as we touched on it earlier his
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bodybuilding career and life in general
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Flex went through hell and back with all
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his medical complications due to blood
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clots kidney failure and then having
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part of his leg amputated the majority
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of the bodybuilding world are well
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informed about Flex Wheeler's kidney
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problems and his recent amputation but
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not many are aware of what happened in
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between these life-threatening medical
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problems even when he most probably had
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the best bodybuilding Physique in the
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history of the sport Flex believed that
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he was not as good as his fellow
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competitors
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the steroids Flex wheeler started his
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competition career as a natural
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bodybuilder but as he started to get
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more involved in the sport he started to
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experiment his performance-enhancing
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drugs Flex explained in detail his first
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experience with steroids my first cycle
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was Diana ball just Dianabol just the
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capsules I put on 30 pounds in a little
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bit over a month I wasn't telling
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anybody and I was kind of secretive
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about it only a few people knew in the
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gym but I just couldn't hide it wheeler
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said while he continued to increase the
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amount of steroids used to prepare for
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bodybuilding competitions Flex started
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to have problems with his kidneys even
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today doctors do not say it was related
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to the use of steroids though they
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ignore that thought kidney troubles Flex
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wheeler started to make a name for
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himself as the best bodybuilder in the
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world but this all started to change
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when he placed second at the 1999 Mr
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Olympia as doctors still could not give
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an explanation to flax as to why his
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kidneys were failing he said he noticed
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things getting worse after every
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competition in 99 it really really got
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bad I took off from LA and I drove to
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San Jose and when I got there I was so
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swollen I couldn't even move I checked
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myself into a hospital and I did an
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Epson salt bath and I ended up having to
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take a diuretic to flush the water out
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and I'm like this ain't right wheeler
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said for over a year I went to all kinds
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of Specialists all they said was oh you
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eat too much protein oh it's the sports
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technology drugs you take oh you're too
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heavy just a whole bunch of Misfits I
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went to every hospital and every
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specialist I could go to and they
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wouldn't even do blood work wheeler
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continued to explain that the doctors
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took decisions based on his physique
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which led them to not doing the proper
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testing and diagnosis in 2000 the
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doctors finally did a biopsy and
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discovered that he had FSG one of the
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most fatal kidney diseases after this
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Flex tried to keep competing in spite of
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the copious amounts of medication that
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he was being forced to take however at
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this point started to compete drug free
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from kidney failure to amputation
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Flex wheeler started to live a life of
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extreme pain and discomfort due to
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complications from kidney failure Flex
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came close to his end on many occasions
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after numerous procedures Flex had no
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choice but to eventually get the lower
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part of his right leg amputated in fact
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by the time he had to get the procedure
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done he almost lost more than that he
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says I asked how bad it was and she said
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on the one side one artery is 100
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blocked the other artery is 90 blocked
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and he went Jesus take it if it's that
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bad and one of them Breaks Loose it
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means it can end me right so it was from
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July to November I think it was November
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3rd when they did the surgery after the
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procedure Flex wheeler recalled being in
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an unbearable pain he was on a large
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amount of medication in the hospital but
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he refused to keep taking them when he
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got out for fear of getting addicted
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nowadays he says the pain is still
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constantly there even though he has
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gotten used to it it is not uncommon for
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amputees to feel phantom pain in their
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missing Limbs and this is no different
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for him but we must remember that Flex
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is in fact not of the woods just yet as
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he was informed by doctors that he is at
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risk to have his remaining limbs
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amputated the doctor said the disease
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you have now causes occlusions of your
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arteries so you're at risk now of losing
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your left leg right arm and left arm
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wheeler said fighting back tears got
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tired okay if this is going to happen
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it's going to have to come and get man
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I'm gonna get up I'm gonna go live my
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life I'm gonna get back and save the
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Kidney donor
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Flex wheeler revealed that his Kidney
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donor unfortunately passed away in 2020.
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Flex Wheeler's donor explained that his
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donor Riza lost her father when she was
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very young as flex's children were still
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very young Riza did not want them to
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grow up without a father you know a
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transplant soon because I was I was
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going to get in dialysis every other day
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for three hours not long after they did
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the kidney transplant in 2003 Riza
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revealed that she was diagnosed with
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breast cancer after a 16-year battle
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Riza unfortunately passed away Flex
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describes Riza as a pure Angel Flex is
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probably one of the very few
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bodybuilders who choose to partake in
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lengthy interviews regarding their
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personal troubles when all said and done
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we have to say that Flex wheeler has
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conquered every obstacle thrown at him
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during his life and we are sure he will
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continue to do so that's all for this
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video folks see you another time
