"Am I going to die?"  That was the question I kept asking while laying on the stretcher as I was being rushed to the hospital.

     On October 1, 2010 outside a club in Sacramento, CA, I was standing around minding my own business when I heard my friend yell my name.  I turned around and saw a group of 8 to 10 guys surrounding him trying to start trouble.  As soon as I saw my friend being punched my first instinct was to jump right in to help him.  When the fight broke loose, the guys all ran away.  With the adrenaline rush I don't remember feeling a thing and just stood there with the thought of walking back to the car and driving home.

     While standing there I felt blood rushing down my face.  I was wondering how was it possible that I have blood dripping down my head when I don't remember being hit.  I then felt a strange feeling in my lungs as the security yells "He got stuck!"  I started to panic because of the realization that I was stabbed.  I was rushed straight to the hospital in an ambulance.  As I layed there and looked at all the doctors and nurses working on me, it felt as if I was in a movie.  I couldn't believe what was going on but I knew that God still had a plan for me and it was not my time to go. 

     When I woke up the next morning, I was told I had been stabbed 15 times.  I was stabbed in the lungs, the liver, all over my back, mid chest, stomach, close to my spine and slice on top of my head.  After 2 weeks of being in the hospital, I was well enough to go back home.  Despite the pain, I kid you not, all I could think about was when am I going to be able to workout again. 

     As I laid in bed, I thought about doing what plenty of people would think impossible.  I wanted to prove that this was not going to stop me from achieving my goal which is getting into the best shape of my life.  So I decided that once I get the ok from the doctors to train, I was planning to bounce back and compete in a bodybuilding show that was just 5 months away.

     Without having any experience in bodybuilding competitions, I looked for all the help I can get.  This was not easy.  I had people that doubted me and said that it was not possible for me to be ready in such a short time period.  Luckily, one of my friends who competed in bodybuilding told me about his coach Kenny Tali, who also runs Max Muscle in Walnut Creek.  So I decided to do some research and was extremely impressed by his accomplishments as a prep coach.  So I decided to give it a shot.  I met up with him and told him my story on how I was having trouble finding someone that was willing to help me.  He saw that I was passionate about bodybuilding, so he was confident that he can get me in contest shape.  It took 10 weeks of prep; despite of what many others thought.

     After 10 weeks of intense workouts and dieting, I went on stage for the first time of my life!  I got 2nd place and fell in love with bodybuilding.  I wanted to get better and better.  4 weeks later I entered a bigger show, the Contra Costa show in Hayward, CA.  I received 3rd place and was even more motivated to improve.  I really saw that bodybuilding was
for me.

     A couple weeks later, I was already thinking about doing another bodybuilding competition.  I had my heart set on doing the Sacramento show that was 6 months away.  I told Ken but at first he was skeptical because he wanted me to have a big offseason.  I told him I wanted to do it because I wanted to go back to Sacramento, the same place I nearly died, compete with my head high and prove the quote "what doesn't kill you could only make you stronger".

     After 6 months of prep, I was confident and ready for Sacramento. With the help from supplements like t2x, Max Gainer 1000, and the diet Ken had me on, I was able to gain enough muscle to make the significant changes in my physique; becoming a better competitor coming into Sacramento.

     On November 5, 2011, a year and one month after the incident, I was back in the city where I nearly lost my life.  I stepped on stage at exactly 154 lbs.  I won both novice and open as the lightweight champion.

     I couldn't have done it without the support of my family, my team, and the coaching of Ken Tali; who also had 8 wins and 1 overall at the same show!  This is only the beginning of my journey and I am confident that with God's help I can do anything.