By Henri Schmidt, CEO and Founder of Vbtec/Visionbody, Muscle Expert, and Cancer Survivor
Everything changed for me just before Christmas 2023 when I received the news that I had head and neck cancer. I was shocked, scared, and desperate to do something—anything—so I agreed to everything my doctors suggested. I had a biopsy, and what followed was a living hell for me: I underwent three months of chemotherapy and 40 rounds of radiation to my face and neck
The radiation burned everything inside my mouth and throat. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t drink, and I couldn’t even swallow. Within a few months, I lost 65 kilograms and almost all of my strength.
I was alive, but barely.
The First Victory—and the Next Battle
After weeks of fear and exhaustion, my scans finally showed what I had hoped and prayed for: the cancer in my head and neck was finally gone. However, I didn’t get to be happy for very long, because in June 2024 the doctors gave me more devastating news—there were four new tumors in my lungs. I remember just staring, thinking, “Are you kidding me?” It completely threw me off, and this was the point when I started questioning everything—all the treatments and the advice people gave me, all the things I was told were the “right” choices. It suddenly occurred to me that if I really wanted to survive this, then I had to stop relying only on what I was told and start figuring out my own way of fighting back.
The Turning Point - Taking Back Control
I decided that I needed to help my body heal, repair itself, and give it the power to destroy every cancer cell that didn’t belong, so I completely changed my lifestyle. I started a ketogenic diet, began eating only one meal a day, and incorporated fasting periods of up to 25 days into my monthly routine. I explained my routine in detail in this article I wrote called Metabolic Cycling: My 7-Day Plan for Energy, Cancer Prevention, and Muscle Building with Visionbody, you can read it if you want to find out more about it.
In addition to changing my diet, I also did everything I could to maintain my muscle mass because I knew that without my muscles, I wouldn’t stand a chance against cancer. On days when I felt too tired and didn’t have the strength for traditional workouts, I turned to my own invention, the Visionbody EMS suit, and my infrared sauna, which helped me activate my muscles, stimulate my blood circulation, and keep my metabolism going strong
This combination became my lifeline, the bridge between my weakness and the strength I needed.
The Battle Against Bone Metastases
After all my efforts, I received some amazing news: my test results showed that the lung tumors were gone. I was over the moon; finally, I could breathe properly again—pun intended. Unfortunately, cancer almost always comes back, and after being cancer-free for a while, I found out that it had started spreading to my bones, and my care team informed me that I had four new tumors along my spine.
But this time, I was ready. Sure, the fear was still there, and the toll this illness had taken on me was evident, but I had faith. Because I had won the previous battles, I knew what I had to do, and I was determined to win the battle against bone cancer as well. So I did what I had learned to do best: I fought back.
I kept training with my Visionbody EMS suit even on days when I felt like doing nothing—because the pain I was in was debilitating, and I was utterly exhausted—and I also fasted again for 25 days. I gritted my teeth and pushed through by staying determined and disciplined, and after weeks of fighting with everything I had, I made a breakthrough: I was temporarily cancer-free.
Temporarily, because, once again, after a while, I had some scans done that showed the cancer cells were still present in my blood, and a small tumor in my back had reappeared, but this time, I already knew what needed to be done; I was no longer powerless.
My System - Life in Balance
Today, I live by sticking to my metabolic cycling plan, pure discipline, and gratitude.
I keep my blood sugar consistently below 100, follow a strict ketogenic diet, and I combine:
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Visionbody EMS for muscle activation
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Infrared sauna for detox and recovery
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PEMF therapy for cellular stimulation
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Hydrogen inhalation and ozone therapy for mitochondrial and immune support
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Two IV infusions per week containing 50 grams of vitamin C, glutathione, and vitamin B17 (amygdalin) to boost detoxification and cellular health
I was blessed and lucky to have the support of the love of my life, my wife and partner, Krisztina, through all of this pain and despair. Every time I felt it was too much and I couldn’t go on anymore, she was the one who was always by my side, fighting alongside me, giving me strength, and guiding me like a beacon when the pain and despair threatened to overwhelm me. She stood by me through every treatment, every night of pain, and every moment of doubt; without her love and support, I would not be where I am today. She is my anchor, and I am beyond grateful to have the honor of spending my life with a woman as amazing as she is.
All the tools I use, all the effort, pain, and resilience, combined with her support, form the foundation of my personal healing system: a synergy of technology, nutrition, recovery, love, and willpower.
And the most important thing I've learned is that strength training should be at the heart of everything I do.
Muscle Is Life
“More cancer patients die from muscle loss than from cancer itself.”
When you stop moving, your body stops fighting. Muscle isn’t just for show—it’s medicine.
It’s your immune system. It’s the engine that keeps you alive.
And I built the technology that can help me keep that engine running on my own.
Visionbody - The Technology That Saved My Life
My name is Henri Schmidt, and I am the CEO and founder of Visionbody and VBTec. In April 2014, I launched Visionbody, the world’s first wireless EMS system.
At the time, it was a revolution in fitness and performance technology.
Today, I know it was something far greater: Visionbody is the system that saved my life.
It helped me preserve my muscle mass, maintain my strength, and hold on to hope, even on days when I had no energy left to move.
Now it all makes sense.
My team and I are now able to help people around the world, whether they’re battling cancer, struggling with muscle loss, living with chronic pain, or simply trying to get back on their feet. I can now share my story and what I did, in the hope that what helped me survive will help them too.
The Fight Continues
I haven’t fully recovered from cancer; I’m still fighting every single day. However, this battle has given me a clear mission: to help others build muscle quickly and effectively, to explain to them the importance of muscle mass for health and in fighting disease, and to help people improve their quality of life, their health, and their overall strength.
Because in the end, one thing remains clear: Strength training is non-negotiable.
Muscles are life. And life is worth fighting for.
My mission is not yet complete.
