A young influencer has made the heartbreaking revelation that he’s suffering from thrombosis, cirrhosis, and cancer.
João Paulo quickly went from having a full face and thick hair to looking gaunt and balding, with a distended belly.
The Brazilian, in his early twenties, says his health problems were caused by years of excessive alcohol and synthetic drug use.
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João, who goes by “Jota Surfista” online, told his 191,000 Instagram followers: “My mother passed away when I was seven.
“After a while, my grandmother, who was taking care of me, also passed away. Life started to get harder from that point.
“I was expelled from school. After that, my life went downhill, and I started living on my own at a very young age.
“I only cared about partying, drugs, and drinking. Hanging out with friends, I thought it was the best time of my life. But it wasn’t.”
João was later arrested several times for speeding under the influence, while partying daily, as reported by Need To Know.
“One day, I woke up vomiting blood from a hangover,” he revealed.
“A series of hospital visits followed.
“When I arrived in São Paulo, the first thing I did – because I was in a lot of stomach pain – was go to a private hospital.
“The doctor evaluated me and said I had to be admitted immediately because my portal vein was almost about to burst.”
João moved from doctor to doctor, as the various diagnoses piled up.
Meanwhile, his stomach swelled “to the size of a twin pregnancy”.
He was eventually diagnosed with a thrombosis in his portal vein, cirrhosis, and an aggressive cancer in the stomach wall.
João, who is a father, revealed in mid-January that he had been undergoing chemotherapy for two and a half months.
“At my last appointment, the doctor – trying not to give me hope – said my cancer was incurable,” he said.
“I cried so much. My son saw me crying.”
Despite the devastating news, João remains optimistic.
“I truly believe I can be cured, and I’ll come back to show everyone that drugs, alcohol, women, parties – none of that is real. It’s just an illusion.”
He is now focusing on sharing his treatment journey and warning others about substance abuse.
“A lot of people feel pain but don’t go to the hospital, thinking it’s normal because they’re drinking or using drugs,” he said.
“Too much of anything will catch up with you, and your body will pay the price.”
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