I met Ian Barnes at Geneva College and was invited to photograph him for a Bleacher Report article that was being written about him and the unusual diseases that he fought hard to win against.

Ian has what is known as Keratoconus, which can lead to blindness, and Crohn’s disease, which can lead to death. It was a pleasure to photograph him and the bodybuilding he now does on a regular basis. He does this not just because he loves physical activity, but because it it helps his body fight his debilitating diseases.

“Barnes followed directions well. Doctors told him to stay as active as possible because children with Crohn’s typically develop thinner than most their age. But the 500 pushups and crunches an 11-year-old Barnes started doing daily made any stunting of growth unnoticeable.” 

Excerpt from Bleacher Report written by David Daniels.

Through bodybuilding and the motivation of rapper Machine Gun Kelly, Ian is now a survivor and advocate for Crohn’s disease.

Check out the images below from his shoot, and then head on over to Bleacher Report to read the full article detailing Ian’s whole story.