Adin Parks - Strength to Inspire

"I wasn't going to live to see 40."

ULTIMATE FITNESS EVENT

Kevin's win in the transformational category had three levels of criteria from the judges. Among the three levels was the Inner Transformation criteria, worth 40% of Kevin's total score. This criteria was a self-written essay demonstrating his story.

Kevin took an unique approach to it and wrote a letter to his past self. His essay reads below.

Kevin poses in his hotel room before the transformational category of the Ultimate Fitness Event in Chicago, Ill., on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Kevin took it slow the the day of the competition, preserving his body as much as he could. “I can’t move much.” Kevin said. “If I move, I’ll ruin my tan and I’ll use muscles that I shouldn’t use yet.”

Kevin strains on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, as he holds a pose in his hotel room before the transformational category of the Ultimate Fitness Event in Chicago, Ill. Posing practice was a challenge the day of the competition. Kevin’s intake of calories was really low, making every effort he made strenuous.

"Kevin,

You remember the day it finally felt heavy? The moment 465 pounds wasn't just on your body, but on your shoulders, pressing against your future.

Work cards hanging from Kevin’s lanyard show his transformation on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Ind. “I love what I do,” Kevin said. “I would not want to get paid doing anything else. I wish I was unemployed, I wish this place did not exist, because then there wouldn't be sick kids. But I just absolutely love it here.”

The doctor's words echoed: "You won't make it past forty." You saw your body had become a barrier, not a home. That day, you chose freedom.

Kevin holds Tucker, an infant patient while checking for vitals on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, during his shift at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Ind. “I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. Sitting down and standing up, my heels would kill me.” Kevin said. “But all the different kinds of shoes, that's definitely changed. I can kind of wear whatever shoes I want now. I just get to play with the kids a lot more. Not having to take breaks from playing with them because I'm winded or like I can't crouch down for that long.”

You traded excuses for endurance, despair for discipline... surviving for living.

You fought through exhaustion and temptation, through early mornings and quiet nights even when no one was watching.

Kevin sweats out reps at K2 Fitness, a local gym in Martinsville, Ind. Kevin treats the gym like therapy. “I immediately think about the gym,” Kevin said. “Because if I'm ever down and out, that's where I go. Like the other day when I couldn't sleep, I literally just got up and went and did the stair steppers.”

Kevin smiles as his posing coach Braden Trester helps his form Wednesday, July 30, 2025, after his workout in Martinsville, Ind. Kevin was 3 months out from his competition and planned to continue to shave the remaining weight off before going on stage in Chicago.

You learned the weight wasn't just fat; it was fear, denial, and lost time.

With every pound you shed you found more patience, empathy, and strength; the very things that made you not just healthier, but a better nurse, a better man.

Kevin shops in the meat section of Kroger on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Martinsville, Ind. Goode meal preps most of his meals, sometimes making meals for multiple days at a time. “I never did before any of this lifestyle change.” Kevin said.“It's something I've always wanted to try. This is one of the biggest reasons, that it obviously makes life a lot easier with a busy lifestyle. Like doing all the cooking right now for like an entire week.

Kevin puts a 25-pound weight on the seated row machine at K2 Fitness on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Indianapolis. Kevin completed a drop set on the machine, dropping the weight each time he started a new set.

The man on this stage is proof that nothing's impossible. You are proof that hope is worth holding... that champions are made, not born.

"I didn't have time to check social media and all that, but my girlfriend had made a post before I got on [stage],” Kevin said. “I had noticed her post and [it] actually just made me teary eyed knowing that she was in the crowd. The words in her post definitely spoke volumes to me. She's just done so much in the past few weeks, and I've told her time and time again, like, how thankful I am. It just would have been a lot harder without her in my corner.”