Thor lookalike who became superfit to help fight cystic fibrosis can laugh properly for first time EVER

By Amy Reast via SWNS

A Thor lookalike who became superfit to help fight his cystic fibrosis says he can laugh properly for the first time EVER - after trying a "life-changing" medication.

Ben Mudge, 31, was born with the lung condition, which would cause him to cough constantly due to excess mucus.

He began weight training in his teenage years in order to improve his health - and was soon was likened to Thor, Marvel's hammer-wielding god played by Chris Hemsworth.

Ben then became a buff personal trainer and even gained a following of others with cystic fibrosis, who were inspired by him.

But he believed until recently that he was as healthy as he would ever be - before trying a new medication in November which was "life-changing" for him.

He said he can now breathe, speak, and laugh without coughing - and it feels like he is living "a dream."

Ben, from Newtownabbey, Belfast, said: "I didn't expect a significant change, but within hours of taking the medication, I noticed the difference.

"I took a deep breath and I started to cry - I never realized what breathing should feel like!

"I used to cough all the time - all day long, even more whenever I laughed and whenever I trained - and now I can't remember the last time I did.

"Now I can laugh without having to think about it - it's so surreal.

"Before, it felt like I had this shadow behind me and now I've been unshackled."

Ben was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a baby and grew up as a pale and "really skinny" lad until he began hitting the gym in his early twenties.

He wanted to improve his health in the hope that it would make his lungs stronger to fight the condition - although he also confessed it was also partly because "girls liked muscles."

Over the years he became a personal trainer alongside working on his own muscles and grew more and more buff.

It got to the point where people would compare him to Thor, Marvel's hammer-wielding god played by Chris Hemsworth.

Eventually Ben, who lives with wife Janice Mudge, 34, and their pooch Ollie, grew out his hair to complete the look and would pose for pictures in full Thor attire - complete with hammer.

He began to share his story on Instagram to raise awareness of cystic fibrosis, which can be life-limiting for many and can shorten life expectancy dramatically.

But despite becoming fit, active and strong, Ben said his cystic fibrosis would still cause him to cough whenever he did anything.

He said: "I would cough in the morning, throughout the day and at night - I'd cough whenever I trained as well.

"The worst thing I couldn't laugh without coughing - I had to actively change the way I laughed by forcing the air out differently so it wouldn't make me cough."

That was when he decided to try a new medication called Kaftrio - which became available on the NHS in 2020.

He said he had been at his fittest point so if it didn't work, he wouldn't be too disappointed - but he was stunned by the instant results.

Ben said: "I already thought I was as good as I as going to be , so I didn't expect much of an effect.

"But I was so wrong - within five hours of taking it, I took a deep breath and didn't need to cough!

"I just started to cry - that's the first time I have ever been able to breathe like that."

Ben said he never realized how much he would need to clear his throat - until he no longer needed to any more.

He also recalled accidentally shouting at his neighbor because of how easy it was to speak, compared to what it had been before.

He said: "The medication showed me that what I thought was normal, wasn't normal - like someone who doesn't wear glasses wearing them for the first time and realizing what they were missing.

"It's been totally surreal - like getting a brand new update.

"My voice even sounds different!"

The Thor lookalike has become an inspiration to many children around the country with cystic fibrosis, as well as becoming a source of support to parents of those children.

He says his aim is to show young people that cystic fibrosis "shouldn't hold them back."

He said: "There's no way of describing how it feels to see effect I have had.

"Nobody prepares you for being sent a video of a kid doing push ups and the kid saying, 'I'm doing it to be like Ben Mudge.'"

He also wants to encourage them to try the new medication that has been "life-changing" for him.

"My mission hasn't stopped now, I want to help even more people," Ben said. "I thought I was as good as I was ever going to be - I was wrong!

"Now I can't even remember the last time I coughed. Before, it felt like I had this shadow behind me and now I've been unshackled.

"I'm blown away - it feels like a dream."