“There’s No Cure for It”: Chris Bumstead Shared the Details of Severe Health Illness That Cost Him 2018 Mr. Olympia Title

Bodybuilding is a sport full of hardships. It depends not only on the aesthetics of one’s body but also on its state. Being healthy is integral to achieving higher goals. Amidst this, if you tend to be sickly or fail to work on your body, it might show up in the results. Chris Bumstead talked about a similar incident, during the 2018 Mr. Olympia championship.

The star once revealed how he didn’t bag the 2018 Mr. Olympia title due to health-related reasons. Bumstead has since been on a strict watch regarding his health while participating in further contests.

What happened to Chris Bumstead in 2018?

Like every legendary bodybuilder, Chris Bumstead trained hard for the Mr. Olympia championship. However, he faced a setback in the form of kidney disease. The star revealed that while training for the competition, his legs would swell up. When this got concerning, he got tested his kidneys and found out that he was suffering from IGA Nephropathy – an autoimmune kidney disorder.

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The icon sadly exclaimed that there was no immediate solution to the problem, “it’s something I will be dealing with for my entire life. It doesn’t go away, there’s no cure for it right now”. The disease causes his kidneys to undergo inflammation. Although he has medications to combat the problem, they work by suppressing his immune system. This means that even after taking medicines, the star would have to monitor his health closely in order to avoid mishaps.

The star also revealed that this wasn’t his first rodeo with kidney issues. He faced a similar incident while at University, where he had to be admitted to a hospital for a flare-up. Back then, they couldn’t diagnose the real issue.

Since then, Chris Bumstead has gone forth to reign over the Mr. Olympia Classic Physique category for 3 years.

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The champion recently proposed to his long-time girlfriend Courtney King. While the couple hasn’t announced wedding dates yet, they put up their gorgeous engagement photos on their social media accounts.

Bumstead’s story is inspirational. Battling disease while preparing for a demanding sport such as bodybuilding is difficult. But the star still manages to train regularly and pave his way up to the throne of bodybuilding. One must draw motivation from his journey and learn to trudge forth despite obstacles.