Brain Tumour Takes Josh Lenartowicz Out of 2019 Olympia!

We all were expecting to see Josh Lenartowicz to step on stage to compete at the 2019 Mr. Olympia, in just over a week. However, after seeing his interview with Tony Doherty, he explains why he will not be competing.

Josh Lenartowicz walked away with a win at the 2019 IFBB Big Man Weekend Pro Bodybuilding Show, which earned him a place on the most prestigious stage in all of professional bodybuilding. He was among the select few athletes selected to compete at the 2019 Mr. Olympia. However, he shocked the industry when he announced that he will no longer be able to compete at this year’s competition.

After Josh made this announcement, he sat down with Tony Doherty, of IFBB Pro League Australia. The two of them discussed why Josh will not be competing at this year’s Olympia. At first, they discussed how everything was going great for Lenartowicz during his prep. Josh then explains that things started going south, when he noticed a lump developing on his head.

“Yeah, it was tiny, and I started getting these headaches, and I never get headaches. and that was a concern for me. So, I went and saw a [General Physician] and they kind of said to just take some aspirin and see a dermatologist.

I went home and couldn’t sleep really. So, I said ‘no, something’s definitely up.’ I went back, and asked for a referral, and it came back with a scan that said I have a tumor in my skull

It was very rare, it’s the rarest tumor you can get, and I didn’t think it was in my family. But my middle brother, who doesn’t train or anything like that, had it at 18 years old.”

Lenartowicz explained that he was to have surgery and would only be out for a day. Doherty then explained that upon waking, Josh had a brain seizure. After that, Lenartowicz explains that they were trying to wake him after the seizure. However, the method they were using to wake him, caused fluid to enter his lungs. At this time, medical staff put him into a medically induced coma. He further explained that due to his size, the doctors were having hard time finding a strong enough dosage to subdue Lenartowicz.

“Yeah, I had a seizure. Which, speaking to the neurosurgeon, it’s common. It’s not rare to happen, so that’s the thing. So, it’s rare that it happened to me, in the circumstance that my neurosurgeon hasn’t had a seizure in a very long time. He backtracks it to when I was younger, and I had meningitis. He said that kind of alters your brain a little bit. When you’re under stress, then you could have a seizure.

So, that happened. Basically, what happened in my head, was that I went in for the surgery, and 8 or 10 days later, I can’t remember. It was 8 days later, I wake up, and my wife was telling me that I had been in a coma for that whole time.”

At this time, conversation switched to how this development would affect Josh’s ability to compete at the Olympia. The time frame was too short, and Lenartowicz was unable to walk properly at first. Add to that the fact that Lenartowicz spent 8-10 days without proper diet and exercise, he knew he would be not be able to attend this year. Josh agreed that it would be better for his health to take the time to rest, and not risk damaging his body further.

Josh Lenartowicz has had a tough time the last few years. From this serious health scare, to dealing with the loss of his close friend Dallas McCarver, things have not been easy. Hopefully, this necessary break will allow Josh the time to recover from this scary health incident.

All of us here at Muscle Insider wish Josh a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the Mr. Olympia stage next year!

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