Woman overcoming Lymphedema by training as bodybuilder

“I don’t say 'Why me?' I say 'Why not me?' The answer is very clear, I can handle it," Amy Rivera said.

STORY: https://www.ksdk.com/article/sports/w...

We have all seen female bodybuilders in our life. These are women who must show a great deal of sacrifice and dedication to get as cut as they possibly can be.

When you watch 40-year-old Amy Rivera walk onto the stage, you know that she has really worked at her craft. However, unless you know her story you have no idea what this athlete has gone through to walk on that stage and compete in the North American Natural Bodybuilding Federation Midwest Naturals.

Rivera was born with Lymphedema. About 10 million Americans have to deal with it. The disease is regarded as incurable and progressive. It causes the soft tissue part of the body to swell, sometimes to enormous proportions. And because of it, Rivera has had to deal with some awfully unkind things directed at her over the years.

“I’ve heard people tell me elephant leg, my mom had sex with an elephant, don’t get close to me, can I catch it from you? There were times that I just wanted to cry and I wanted to give up," Rivera said.

She kept fighting because she felt the Lymphedema community needed her. She was the first to reverse it in the United States. She was the first to have the surgery. She was one of the first to wear shorts with the disease.

Rivera fought it head-on. The surgery removed 4 two liters of solid and 16 inches of skin. Her right leg went from 200% larger than her left left leg to 1% larger.

Bodybuilding was going to be her statement.

“All my life I wanted to be an athlete," she said. "My heart and soul told me health and wellness was the way. I wanted to play every sport but I couldn’t. I went for the most extreme sport you can go for, bodybuilding. I used to watch these competitions and thought how cool it would be to transform my body and make it look great. People kept telling me I couldn’t do it.”

Rivera uses compression bandages to keep the swelling down. She does yoga and works out like an NFL player.

Her diet is monitored closely especially during competitions.

“I don’t say 'Why me?' I say 'Why not me?' The answer is very clear, I can handle it. I can be an inspiration in the Lymphedema community.”