MOM of three April Wood, from Arizona, has lost an incredible 280lbs through diet and exercise. Growing up, April says she always struggled with being overweight, she told Truly: “Around the age of 12 is when I started to go into the ‘obese’ catagory, I started high school probably weighing around 200-250lbs and by the time I was done, I weighed 350lbs.” At her heaviest weighing in at 440lbs, April struggled with constant fatigue preventing her from being able to play with her kids. Her wake up call happened whilst watching a video of her daughter learning how to walk. “My daughter Chloe was just learning how to walk and I wanted to stand up and go to her, but I weighed so much that it was too hard to get up from the couch. That was the catalyst moment." Determined to make a change, April started working out and eating healthily, quickly shedding pound after pound. And things really took a turn when she met her personal trainer and gym owner Matt Hoodie: “Matt has been instrumental in me getting to my weight loss goal, he’s lost 130lbs himself so he understands the mental and physical challenges.” However, losing all the excess weight had a downside; April was left with lots of loose skin. She added: “I worked so hard for the body that I wanted, but the excess skin was there, like a scar of the battle I had fought." April has since had two skin removal surgeries and breast implants, finally finishing off her weight loss journey. Although April says maintaining her goal weight is almost harder than losing the excess weight, she’s adamant to keep pushing. “My children are my biggest weight loss inspiration. I don’t want to get back to being overweight, cause it will hamper me from being able to play with my kids.” Social: https://www.instagram.com/phoenix_girl_rising/

For nearly 10 years, the Belize Barrier Reef was an endangered UNESCO World Heritage site. In June 2018 it was finally taken off that list. #Awesome

Not all robots are bad.

FLORIDA based personal trainer Joel Nixon has gained his confidence back - after being fitted with an ileostomy bag. The 30-year-old, originally from New Jersey, says he was always an active kid until he started having health issues during high school. In 2007 Joel was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a lifelong condition where parts of the digestive system become inflamed. Although the disease was affecting Joel’s day to day life, he didn’t exactly understand what he was dealing with. He told Truly: “I never knew anyone that had Crohn's, I didn’t understand it and tried to hide my illness as I didn’t want anyone to look at me differently.” However, one of the symptoms of his disease was the inability to gain weight, and having a twin brother meant that Joel was often being compared. “They would look at him looking healthy at a normal weight, and then they’d see me looking very skinny and frail.” For years Joel suffered in silence, until a massive flare-up caused him a break down. He explained: “I’d be in the car by myself and I’d be crying yelling to the top of my lungs; ‘what’s going on with me?’” Finally finding the courage to seek help in 2016, doctors told Joel his health had declined so much that the only solution would be an ileostomy bag. “At the time I didn’t like it at all, I was upset to get it but I felt so sick, I was willing to try anything." After the surgery, Joel’s health changed dramatically and when getting back into fitness, he soon started gaining his confidence back as his body became stronger. “Fitness plays a major part in my life, exercising helps my anxiety and depression, it makes me feel alive and like anyone else without a stoma.” Now a personal trainer, Joel wants to support other people with similar health issues and has started using his social media platforms to create a specialised fitness programme and awareness for Crohn’s disease. He added: “I feel like if I spread more awareness and people would know about it more, they would stop bullying and instead start a conversation, I feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing." https://www.instagram.com/crohnically.fit/