By: Tristan Chow

Last year a man by the name of James Webbs quit his job to enter a food eating competition. In his first competition he ate a total of 38 pancakes! He continued winning multiple food eating competitions. This meant a lot to James Webb because he overcame childhood obesity. For James it was all going well, but what was his back story?

James was happy playing professional soccer and living his dreams. Yet this wasn’t how it was going to end: at age 27 he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome which caused James to become paralyzed. Did you know that Guillain-Barre syndrome causes serious infections in adults that include bloodstream infections, which can lead to pneumonia and further complications. It was very hard and painful for James to deal with throughout his teenage years.

After breaking through tough and challenging times he managed to get himself to walk once again. But, soon he became blind, and his soccer dreams were crushed. He stated that one night he was a professional soccer player and the next day he was paralyzed. This was a lot for him to take in, yet he still had faith that he could break through. Gladly due to an eye surgery he was able to see once again. He is now healthy and fully recovered. He managed to complete 26 food challenges and contests in 10 days and he now became a professional eater for a living. Believe it or not, most good professional eaters are not obese. They workout regularly and stay fit. This shows that you can overcome obstacles and become who you want to be. James Webbs’ story shows that with enough time and effort you can accomplish so much even if things are bringing you down.