IT ’ S WITH HEAVY HEARTS THAT WE ANNOUNCE THE PASSING OF MICHAEL THIER “ BIG KENTUCKY ”, A BODYBUILDER , A SOLDIER , A FRIEND , A MENTOR AND SOMEONE WHO HAD A DIRECT IMPACT ON SO MANY LIVES IN AND OUT OF THE FITNESS AND BODYBUILDING INDUSTRY .
FREDERICTON NB ’ S MIKE THIER WAS “ AN ICON IN THE BODYBUILDING INDUSTRY BECAUSE OF HIS ABILITY TO MOTIVATE OTHERS ,” SAYS HEATHER LEBLANC , NEW BRUNSWICK DIRECTOR FOR THE CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE . AN ATLANTIC BODYBUILDING CHAMPION IN 2013 AT 43 , THIER DIED SUNDAY OF HEART , LUNG AND KIDNEY COMPLICATIONS . HE WAS 50 . “ MIKE WAS A STAND-UP GUY ,” SAID LEBLANC , WHO PROMOTES SHOWS WITH HUSBAND TI-JEAN LEBLANC . “ HE HAD A WAY OF TALKING TO PEOPLE . HE WAS A VERY PASSIONATE INDIVIDUAL AND HE WAS ALL ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE . “ HE ’ D ALWAYS MAKE [ FACEBOOK ] POSTS SAYING ‘ IF YOU NEED FOOD , HEAT OR A PLACE TO STAY , MY DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN ,’” SHE SAID . “ HE WAS ALWAYS THAT PERSON WHO GAVE SO MUCH TO EVERYONE .”
THE GLADIATOR SHOW WAS THIERS LAST HURRAH IN BODYBUILDING , BUT HE ENDED UP ON AN EVEN BIGGER STAGE LATER THAT YEAR . HE WAS ONE OF 40 ATHLETES CHOSEN FROM ALMOST 700 APPLICANTS TO REPRESENT TEAM CANADA AT THE 2018 INVICTUS GAMES . AFTER HE FOUND OUT HE ’ D BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE INVICTUS GAMES , A GRATEFUL THIER SAID : “ I CRIED SO HARD . I WAS ON DEATH ’ S DOOR TWICE AND NOW I ’ M GOING ON THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME .” HE WAS 48 WHEN HE COMPETED FOR HIS COUNTRY IN SYDNEY , AUSTRALIA .
THIER , WHO WAS FROM WHITE ROCK , B . C ., WAS A WAR VETERAN AND HE PROUDLY WORE HIS UNIFORM OF THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES SERVING OUR COUNTRY . HE JOINED THE MILITARY IN 1994 AND WAS STATIONED AT CFB GAGETOWN . HE DID TWO TOURS , BOSNIA IN 1996 AND AFRICA IN 1999 . EVEN IN DANGER , HE KNEW HE COULD BE KILLED BUT WAS COMMITTED TO THE MEN HE FOUGHT WITH AND THE COUNTRY HE WAS PROTECTING . HIS FIRST BRUSH WITH DEATH CAME WHEN HE WAS A MASTER CORPORAL ON A UN MISSION IN ETHIOPIA .
“ MARCH 19 , 2001 , THERE WAS A MAJOR BLAST IN A LAV III [ LIGHT ARMOURED VEHICLE ]. I COULD SEE BLOOD DRIPPING INSIDE MY EYES ,” HE SAID IN A PREVIOUS GLEANER INTERVIEW . THIER NEEDED 25 OPERATIONS TO RECONSTRUCT HIS SHATTERED , BURNED FACE . HE WAS QUARANTINED FOR FOUR DAYS . HIS MILITARY CAREER WAS OVER IMMEDIATELY . THIER THOUGHT HE WAS ON HIS DEATHBED IN 2016 AND WAS HOSPITALIZED AND PUT ON LIFE SUPPORT FOR 17 DAYS . HIS KIDNEYS FAILED . “ THE ONLY THING OPERATING IN MY BODY THAT WAS BEATING ON ITS OWN WAS MY HEART ,” MIKE THIER SAID IN 2018 . “ EVERYTHING ELSE WAS MECHANICAL .” MEDICAL DOCTORS HAD SAID HE WOULDN ’ T MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT AND WHEN HE DID , HE SPENT TWO WEEKS IN ICU IN SAINT JOHN , SELF- INDUCED COMA FOR 11 DAYS . HE HAD FIVE BLEEDING ULCERS AND A HERNIATED OESOPHAGUS . YET HE RECOVERED – AGAIN . ON TOP OF HIS PHYSICAL HEALTH ISSUES , THIER DEALT WITH POST- TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND HE CONSTANTLY FOUGHT THOSE DEMONS ,” WIFE LYNN THIER SAID .
AS OF LATE , MIKE THIER SPENT MOST OF HIS LAST THREE MONTHS HOSPITALIZED . HE WAS TRANSPORTED FROM THE SAINT JOHN REGIONAL HOSPITAL TO FREDERICTON HOSPICE FOR HIS FINAL HOURS . IT GAVE HIM A CHANCE TO SEE SON KEEGHAN THIER , 19 , STEP-SON TYLER CALLAGHAN , 26 , HIS BELOVED DOG , BELLA , HIS EX-WIFE , JODY JODOIN . “ MIKE IMPACTED EVERYBODY WITH HIS POSITIVE ATTITUDE ,” WIFE LYNN THIER SAID . “ HE WAS ALWAYS ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO STEP UP AND GO FOR WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE , NOT TO SETTLE , BUT ALSO TO BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS .” HER HUSBAND HAD THOSE TRAITS IN SPADES , SHE SAID . “ THEY CALL HIM BIG MIKE OR BIG KENTUCKY BUT THE BIGGEST THING ABOUT HIM WAS HIS HEART AND HE ’ D GIVE THE SHIRT OFF HIS BACK TO ANYBODY .
THE CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE WILL REMEMBER MIKE AS A GREAT BODYBUILDER AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT THE 2013 ATLANTIC CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIPS CAPTURING THE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE AND LATER ON COMPETING AT THE 2018 ATLANTIC CLASSIC CHAMPIONSHIPS AND SPECIAL INVITEE OF THE 2ND GLADIATOR SHOWDOWN AND PLACING 3RD IN THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION . HE WILL MOSTLY BE REMEMBERED AS SOMEONE WHO SPOKE AUDIENCES ON STAGE TO TELL HIS COURAGEOUS STORY WHICH WAS HEARD AT MANY NEW BRUNSWICK BODYBUILDING SHOWS . TO LISTEN TO HIS STORIES , HIS FIGHT AND STRUGGLES TO STAY ALIVE , WERE MEMORIES THAT WILL LIVE ON IN OUR ATHLETE ’ S HEARTS FOREVER . AS MUCH AS HE WAS A LOYAL AND COMMITTED SOLDIER IN THE TRENCHES , HE WAS ALSO A LOYAL AND DEVOTED BODYBUILDER TO OUR SPORT AND CONTRIBUTED TO AND SUPPORTED IT THROUGH BURSARIES , DONATIONS AND GIVING BACK TO THE SPORT IN SO MANY WAYS THAT WERE UNIMAGINABLE .
THERE WERE NO LIMITS FOR MIKE THIER . HE NEVER STOPPED DOING WHAT HE LOVED AND LIVED HIS LIFE THE WAY HE WANTED TO LIVE IT . THROUGH HIS SACRIFICES AND BRAVERY DAY IN AND DAY OUT , THERE CAME A PRICE AND MANY SHRAPNEL SCARS . “ IT ’ S NO SECRET MIKE STRUGGLED WITH PTSD ,” LEBLANC SAID . “ I HONESTLY BELIEVE , IN MY HEART , BODYBUILDING SAVED HIS LIFE . TRAINING GAVE HIM A SENSE OF PURPOSE . IT KEPT HIM FOCUSED , GROUNDED AND HIS MIND OFF WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM IN THE WAR .” LEBLANC SAYS THE CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE WILL DO “ A HUGE TRIBUTE ” TO THIER AT THE GLADIATOR SHOWDOWN IN JULY “ BECAUSE HE DESERVES IT . HE WAS THAT IMPORTANT TO US . THE SHOWS WON ’ T BE THE SAME WITHOUT HIM .” HIS LEGACY WILL INSPIRE US ALL TO BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER , SUPPORT ANYONE IN NEED AND TO LIVE OUR LIVES TO THE FULLEST , NO MATTER WHAT THE COST .
THROUGH THIS REMEMBRANCE WE OFFER MIKE OUR THANKS , OUR HEARTS AND OUR PRAISE FOR ALL THE SACRIFICES HE MADE . AS MIKE WOULD SAY ;
REST EASY FRIEND .
“ UNTIL VALHALLA ”
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