Mabatah spent six days in a coma and was paralyzed on his right side. He underwent emergency brain surgery, then two weeks later, was taken back to Houston’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Mabatah had to undergo several more brain surgeries and two oral surgeries. he started rehab TIRR Memorial Herman Rehabilitation Inpatient Center.
Mabata slowly began to learn to walk and talk again. But he missed out on competing as a tennis player. That’s when his trainer, Eugene Bramble, suggested a different form of athletic training bodybuilding. At first Mbata didn’t think this would be possible, but he began training for bodybuilding competitions in the adaptive category. His first competition was in September of 2020.
He also created his own non-profit organization, Kel Strong Foundation, which provides scholarships to TIRR to support traumatic brain injury survivors.
To follow Kel’s recovery journey, meet him here Facebook or instagram @kmabatah.
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