Bodybuilder Mohamed Yameen (Yaambe), who holds the title of Mr Maldives, is suffering from kidney failure and has appealed for help from the public.
Bodybuilder Mohamed Yameen (Yaambe), who holds the title of Mr Maldives, is suffering from kidney failure and has appealed for help from the public.
Yameen, who has held the title of Mr Maldives four times, said that he is currently on the final stages of kidney failure, and had been diagnosed about a month ago. He said that with both kidneys failing, doctors have advised to go for transplant.
"As I am young, doctors say the best option would be to do transplant. The other option would be dialysis," he said.
As he would need significant funds to undergo treatment, Shaviyani atoll Funadhoo, where Yameen hails from, has begun a fundraising drive yesterday.
"I sincerely appeal for help from the public," Yameen said.
"Although we have won many successes in this field, we never received a sufficient monetary prize."
Yameen said that he had not noticed any symptoms of his ailment before, and had only been diagnosed through blood tests conducted after he was facing some discomfort. In the month since, he has consulted with various doctors and undergone multiple tests.
"Doctors say that it is now at the fifth stage. That's the last stage of this disease. This can no longer be cured," he said.
"Right now, I am staying entirely away from sports. The focus is on overcoming this."
Yameen first won the title of Mr Maldives in 2017. Since then, he won the title in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He also has many international wins, including winning gold in 85 kg category at last year's Asia Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship. In 2022, he won bronze in the Super 90 kg category finals of Body Building World Championship.