Another Chance at Life: Erik’s Amazing Transformation

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To say things are going well for Erik would be an understatement. The 33-year-old Brazilian DJ and event coordinator is thriving in all aspects of life.

He recently became engaged to his boyfriend. His DJ career is taking off, both in Brazil and in the U.S. He feels stronger and more confident than ever. And he can finally say he has achieved the healthy, fit physical appearance he’s always wanted.

But it wasn’t always like this. Things weren’t always on the up for Erik. He has overcome much hardship in his short life, and we at Sono Bello are honored to play a small part in his success story.

Where It All Began 

Erik says his weight loss journey began in adolescence. He was overweight, and there didn’t seem to be an end in sight.

“It was super complicated because it is already difficult to be a teenager. Being chubby and short, I looked like a ball,” Erik said in an interview with Brazilian press. “I didn’t take care of myself. My diet was bad, I still had pimples.”

After leaving for college, Erik decided it was high time he do something to lose weight. He started taking the gym seriously and following a structured, healthy diet.

The change in habits worked and Erik started to lose weight. But when he started to lose too much weight ⁠— something extremely unusual for him ⁠— he was diagnosed with anemia and prescribed iron supplementation.

Only two months later, Erik started experiencing more severe health problems. He went to his college clinic complaining of night sweats and other symptoms and was subsequently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Devastated, Erik was committed to getting better. Immediately, he began chemotherapy in a city a few hours from his hometown.

Despite the cancer diagnosis and exhausting treatments, Erik says he was still able to stay positive throughout the whole process.

“I thought that if I died, I didn’t want to miss my last summer,” Erik revealed. “So, I would [cover] myself with sunscreen, stay under the umbrella, and go to the beach. I looked like I was on vacation.”

After one year and 15 chemotherapy sessions, Erik was deemed cancer free. To this day, he is grateful for the experience, saying his cancer diagnosis and road to recovery were amazing life lessons that actually transformed him for the better.

Personal Weight Loss & Professional Liposuction at Sono Bello 

Throughout recovery, Erik developed a new lust for life. But once he stopped chemotherapy, he realized he’d gained over 40 pounds during treatment.

“I thought, [I know what I need to do now],” says Erik, reminiscing on his first bout with weight loss. “I started taking step and jump classes. I went back to college and also started running. I worked in the morning, studied at night and then went out for a run.”

He also followed a well-regulated diet to supplement the exercise, even developing a passion for healthy cooking and eating.

To Erik’s delight, his efforts were paying off. He was losing weight and getting stronger!

But despite all of his progress and amazing achievements (he won beauty contest Mister Pernambuco Universo and ran for Mister Brasil Universo!), he still struggled with stubborn problem areas that stunted his self-confidence.

For Erik, this meant his love handles. After all he’d been through ⁠— from being an overweight teen to overcoming Hodgkin’s lymphoma to starting his fitness journey all over again and completely crushing it ⁠— he still could not figure out a way to minimize his pesky love handles!

Erik wanted to invest in his appearance. He wanted to find a proven fat loss solution that he could trust. One day, he stumbled upon Sono Bello in Orlando, Florida… and the rest is history.

Erik received TriSculpt micro-laser liposuction on his lower abdomen and hips near the end of 2020. He was officially on the path to achieving his well-deserved dream body!

These days, you can find Erik sharing healthy meals and workouts on social media. When the pandemic is over, he will be DJ-ing and producing events across Florida and Brazil.

Erik attributes his success and happiness to the experience of beating cancer. “[Once] you have a second chance at life, you start setting goals for what you want, what you can achieve. Today I am very happy with what I have.”

Congratulations, Erik! You’ve overcome so much adversity, and now you’re the best, healthiest, and happiest version of yourself. We’re so happy we could help you work towards your body goals!