A Durham, North Carolina, man turned his life around after receiving serious medical news.
According to a report from SWNS, Derek Barnett, 55, was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease 10 years ago.
At his heaviest, Barnett weighed 240 pounds and was a size 12.
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Barnett, a construction worker who is currently unemployed due to health problemsbrushed off his diagnosis, telling SWNS he “didn’t think anything of it.”
“Everyone has some kind of thing,” he said.
At his heaviest, Barnett weighed 240 pounds and was a size 10. (SWNS)
But the man’s condition worsened and developed into cirrhosis and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma, also known as liver cancer.
In January 2024, Barnett received a letter from his doctor delivering bad news: He might have only six months to live if the cancer continued to grow.
“When they gave me that letter last year, it became real,” he reflected.
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‘The note said: ‘If the cancer becomes aggressive, you have six months to live.’ I kept it, looked at it every day and it beat me up.”
Barnett’s doctors told him the best way would be to regain his health to fall off – and he knew it was time to get motivated and take action.
“I played college baseball, tennis and football in the ’80s, but as I got older I put on weight,” Barnett said. (SWNS)
“I thought, ‘Okay, we can do this,’” he told SWNS. “I’m a fruitaholic. I went on one important fruit diet basically.”
Barnett began limiting his diet to “very small meals” during the day, with plenty of his favorite fruits.
“It’s about eating well, staying active and never giving up.”
“I can eat a whole watermelon in a day, but I also eat apples, oranges and grapes, whatever is in season,” he said.
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“I also do protein shakes. I’m not a vegetarian, but I don’t eat a lot of meat because it’s too filling for me.”
Barnett recently hit one record low weight of 164 pounds. He reported that he had lost the pounds by following this diet and that his “scores look fantastic.”
Barnett reported that he is “feeling great, and I’m just getting started.” (SWNS)
“I haven’t weighed this since I was probably 15 years old,” he said.
Barnett said he still has work to do strengthen his muscles to “make up for the skin loss”, but he keeps going.
“My clothes are a bit too big and baggy, and it’s hard to afford clothes when you lose weight so quickly, but I feel great,” he said.
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Barnett has also kept the weight off stay activedespite his physical limitations.
“I have osteoarthritis in my right knee and need a knee replacement,” he revealed. “I can’t jog or pedal, but I do what I can.”
Barnett managed to lose more than 30 pounds with a fruit and protein shake diet, plus consistent exercise. (SWNS)
He reported that his workouts usually involve sitting in chairs and “using small dumbbells.”
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“I’m non-stop, but I do it without hurting myself,” he added. “Losing weight is about staying active and finding whatever you can do to get off the couch.”
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Barnett told SWNS that he will know the status of his prognosis in February, and that he hopes to inspire others with his successful weight-loss journey.
“I definitely don’t want cancer anymore,” he said. “I don’t want a liver transplant. I want to live an active lifestyle.” (SWNS)
“If I can do this, anyone can,” he said. “I’ve done everything the doctors told me. It’s about eating right, staying active and never giving up.”
“I was 55 going to 90,” he continued. “Now I’m 55 and going back to 20.”
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Barnett hopes to return to work and have a lifefull, active life,” said SWNS.
“I want to ring the bell the next time I see my doctors and tell them I did it,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
