By: Brady Cheng

James Webb, a competitive eater who lives in Australia, overcame GBS from his years of competitive eating.

It’s amazing how he overcame childhood obesity, and now plays semi-professional soccer. When he was 27, he couldn’t move his body and had to use a ventilator to breathe. After recovering, he now breaks food records, like eating 38 pancakes in an hour, and much more.

Webb was 27 when he suffered GBS. “He suffered Guillain-Barre syndrome, or GBS, an auto-immune disorder, when he was 27. GBS is a rare disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its nerves. It can cause paralysis, which means you can’t move your body anymore…Mr Webb couldn’t move his body and had to use a ventilator because he couldn’t breathe. The doctors told him he would never walk again…He then developed cataracts, when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, and he became blind and had to give up his soccer dream.”(Mercedes Maguire). GBS prevented him from achieving his dream as a professional soccer player. Soon, he developed cataracts and became blind. He then had to give up his dream.

Soon enough, after a new form of eye surgery, he was slowly regaining his sight. “But thanks to a new form of treatment and eye surgery, he slowly regained his sight and taught himself how to walk and breathe without a ventilator. Now Mr Webb is fit and healthy — he weighs 91 kg with 10 percent body fat — and goes to the gym everyday.”(Mercedes Maguire). He then taught himself how to walk and do all the basic movements needed for everyday life. Now he is healthy, and he weighs 91 kg thanks to regular everyday exercise. He still eats a lot of food to maintain his title in competitive eating, but he isn’t overweight.

Now you know all about a man who encouraged himself to overcome an illness to pursue his goal- as a competitive eater. Now you should encourage yourself too!