After Surviving Over 40 Surgeries, Bodybuilding Gem Flex Wheeler Sums Up Life in a Three-Worded Message

Flex Wheeler was among the greatest bodybuilders of the 90s. Fans praised him for his incredible mix of muscularity and symmetry. He gave six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates and eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman a run for their money. However, just as the Sultan of Symmetry had hit his prime, his bodybuilding career ended abruptly. Diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare kidney disease, Wheeler required a kidney transplant. Since then, he has undergone 40 life-saving surgeries, including a partial amputation of his right leg in 2019.

Even now, the former bodybuilding champion faces issues like phantom pain in his right leg. He also dealt with complications that arrised from medication for treating phantom pain. However, despite the difficulties, Wheeler refuses to give in and summarized life in a caption on his Instagram post.

Taking on life like a champion

Despite retiring from competitive bodybuilding, many fans and even bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger consider Wheeler as the GOAT. One such fan shared a video of Wheeler, uploaded on the Instagram page bodybuilding_edit. The fan shared the video on his Instagram story and tagged the 57-year-old.

“One of the best bodies in the world of bodybuilding,” the fan captioned the post. The video he shared showed the Sultan of Symmetry getting ready. In the video, the Sultan applied an ointment on his amputated leg, presumably before putting on his prosthetic leg. The four-time Arnold Classic winner saw the post and shared it on his Instagram story.

However, the former three-time Mr. Olympia runner-up added his caption to the clip. Wheeler summed up his journey in three words. “Life goes on,” he wrote in his Instagram story. The fan reposted Flex Wheeler’s story and called him a “warrior.”

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While he has faced numerous health-related challenges in the past two decades, Wheeler wants to move forward. Recently, he even talked about finding a new purpose.

Bodybuilding legend Flex Wheeler has a new purpose

Shortly after winning a lifetime achievement award at the Arnold Classic 2023, Flex Wheeler posted a video on Instagram. In the video, Wheeler told his fans to “Forget GOAT, forget Sultan of whatever, forget about the accolades from before. What I’ve done is not who I am now.”

The former record holder for the most Arnold Classic wins said he wants to help people. The 57-year-old aims to use his experience to help others improve their quality of life.

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What did you make of Flex Wheeler’s three-worded message about moving forward in life? Write your thoughts in the comments.