Jeremiah Mastrogiacomo is a 19-year-old MMA fighter whose most feared opponent is his man boobs.
Mastrogiacomohas suffered with male breast enlargement — called gynecomastia — since he was 13-years-old, according to NY Post.
The 5’11” teen from Cape Coral, Florida was formerly obese before cutting out carbs and learning MMA, resulting in an 80 pound weight loss. He turned into a physical specimen, but the lingering man boob tissue has negatively affected his progress in MMA.
“The doctors think that at puberty there was an imbalance of hormones and my body produced more estrogen than testosterone,” Mastrogiacomo told Caters.
Jeremiah once consumed 5,000 calories a day but leaned on mixed martial arts training to lose the weight and become eligible for vaser liposuction surgery to have the man boobs removed. Jeremiah’s condition is more than just physical–his gynecomastia has dampened his self worth and prohibited him from having relationships.
“I used to tell myself I wasn’t good enough. I’ve never had serious relationships. I never thought someone would want me long term, as a teen it was tough. There were limitations like not going to the beach or taking my shirt off,” Mastrogiacomo told Caters.
Despite training five days a week and in peak physical condition, Mastrogiacomo claims that his breasts are unaffected by strenuous exercise.
“I can feel them swaying around. It feels like an alien on my body,” he said.
“I do still feel insecure even when people tell me I look great. I’ve grown a body dysmorphia in a way,” said Mastrogiacomo, adding that surgery would be the final part of his physical transformation.
Mastrogiacomo started a GoFundMe page with a goal of $9,000 to help him raise enough money for breast reduction surgery before his first amateur MMA fight in July. If you’re feeling generous or need some good karma, throw the dude a few bucks.
[h/t NY Post]