10-Year-Old Texas Girl Healed From Hair Loss Through Weightlifting

Most kids don’t have to deal with stress, that’s what parents hope for anyway. In today’s world that is just not the case. Young children have stressors that are unimaginable, and sometimes it’s difficult for parents to figure out how to fix that or how to make their kids feel better. For the parents of 10-year-old Celeste Godinez from Corpus Christi, Texas, who was diagnosed with alopecia (an autoimmune skin disease that causes hair loss), all they wanted to do is help their daughter gain her confidence back and not be burden by stress. There was one thing, however, that was helping her, and that was weightlifting.

The Cut followed Celeste and her family through her incredible journey from just an average cheerleader at her school to a competing weightlifter who is lifting more than her own weight. Her family explains that Celeste first fell in love with CrossFit and then turned to cheerleader, but that desire for health and fitness only intensified after her diagnosis. When her parents asked her to slow down and take it easy, in hopes that her hair would grow back, she decided to start weightlifting and fell in love with the sport. Little by little, her hair grew back, and she is back to being the healthy little girl who can’t get enough from weightlifting.

She said on a day she misses going to the gym, “it’s not a good day.” That statement alone proves this little girl has found her passion, and it’s beautiful to watch her parents supporting her every step of the way.

Celeste’s competitive spirit continues to gain momentum. At 9-years-old she broke 18 records for her weight class the USA Powerlifting National Championships. And Celeste is in a small group of young weightlifters. According to The Cut, out of 22,000 athletes that are registered with USA Powerlifting, only 292 are between the ages of 8 and 13. That means Celeste is definitely one to watch. Here’s more of that story below.