About Johnny's Journey
What is Johnny's Journey?
Johnny's Journey is my health and fitness journey from death to life. It is my physical, mental, and spirtual journey from bedridden hospitalization of severe, life threathing pneumonia at 790 lbs. to my current 300+ pound weight loss using only hard work, dedication, prayer, and healthier eating. I am fighting my super morbid obesity and the national obesity epidemic by focusing on faith, dedication, and healthy lifestyle mental health.
Johnny's Journey is a journey for everyone and I am using my journey to help and influence everyone.
You can do this!
We will do it together!
JOIN THE MOVEMENT!
My Story
I grew up against all the odds at the hands of an abusive father, a mother who was very loving but who could not get out of her situation, a very close sister, and extreme poverty.
Though I was gifted in other ways, I had a reading disorder which labeled me as “slow” in school. I got a lot of ridicule for this from my father and fellow students at school causing me to be depressed and seek comfort. I would often have my feelings hurt at home or at school and cry and act out like children do in stressful situations. My mom and sister would try to console me but my dad would not want to hear me cry and give me entire 10 packs of Reese Cups, entire packs of mini Butterfinger candy bars, whole 2 liters of Coca Cola, and whole bags of potato chips to quiet me. If mom tried to take those things away from me, dad would get abusive. By the time I was 6 years old, the weight was piling on.
790 Pounds
The years passed and the abuse and poverty raged on. When I was 7 I developed a condition called Aseptic Necrosis, which is a condition that rots away the bone, in my case it was my left hip joint. It was another reason for my father to abuse me and a major reason I had difficulty forming relationships with other children.
As the years passed, many events happened in my life that would affect my health. Most of them catastrophic. My mother and father’s vicious separation, dealing with my father’s lies, the judge awarding custody of me to my father, and as a consequence of that the reconciliation of my parents which was more turbulent than ever before. During all this I was still turning to sugar for comfort which was now a full blown addiction and after high school I had eaten my way up to 790 pounds.
Moving Out and Finding My Way
My life began to stabilize when my sister took me away from my parents. This made it hard for me to see my mom but we would manage to sneak away for lunch or slip her a secret phone to call us on. We kept our outings and conversations totally secret so our dad would not abuse her for seeing or talking to us. Finally the day came when my father had a mental breakdown and we rescued our mother and she moved in with us. I was still eating to comfort myself but I started going to church and there got the opportunity to work in the A/V department, where I excelled. I was able to get in a TV Producers program and get several certificates which made my mom and sister happy for me and proud. It even inspired mom to do the same thing in 2018, just after I earned my certifications.
The “fat,retarded, crippled boy” that everyone wrote off was finally finding his place and starting to become an inspiration but I was still addicted to and using junk food for comfort.
The Turning Point
2020 hit my family hard. My mom, who never smoked a day in her life was diagnosed suddenly with lung cancer and after two months in the hospital, died in the room that was next to my own hospital room. Her dying with cancer was what I was enduring while I was immobile and near death with pneumonia in the room next to her. To make matters worse, I was not allowed to see her due to covid restrictions.
My pneumonia was brought on by my weight and lack of mobility. When I caught it, I was not moving to help my body defeat it. It all culminated one night when the fire department had to be called to lift me from my chair, and later the same night, from my toilet. It was then that I was hospitalized next to my mother and fighting for my own life. I made a promise to God that if He gets me out of my situation that I will do everything I can to help others stay out of that predicament. That very night I gave up all junk food and soda and began to eat healthy. Since I couldn’t get out of bed, I began exercising my arms in bed. I started my health journey, losing my first 19 pounds while still in the hospital and now I'm on a mission to reach the nation!
The Movement: Currently 300+ Pounds Down
Today I am growing my platform to reach the masses to change the fitness landscape of America and beyond.
I am partnered with POWERHOUSE GYM and NEXT LEVEL NUTRITION to become the best version of myself that I can be and to help you become the best version of yourself too.
You are worth!
JOIN THE MOVEMENT!
Johnny's Journey Partners