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Thor lookalike with cystic fibrosis laughs properly for first time after 'wonder drug'

Hannah Millington
·Health & Wellness Reporter
·5-min read

Watch: Thor lookalike with cystic fibrosis can laugh properly for the first time

A Thor lookalike living with cystic fibrosis – who uses his superhero resemblance to help bring some joy to families affected by the condition – says he can laugh properly for the first time ever after trying a "life-changing" medication.

Bun Mudge, from Belfast, became super fit to help fight the lung condition he was born with, which can cause chest infections, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and damage to the airways, but still hadn't experienced what normal breathing felt like.

The now 31-year-old began weight training in his teenage years in order to improve his health, and was soon likened to Thor, Marvel's god of thunder, played by Chris Hemsworth in the recent Marvel silver screen franchise.

Ben Mudge with his medication. See SWNS story SWOClaugh. 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
Ben Mudge, aka Thor, is an inspiartion to those living with cystic fibrosis. (SWNS)

Mudge then became a personal trainer, gaining a following of others with cystic fibrosis, who were inspired by his fitness journey.

However, after working extremely hard against the odds to achieve the type of fitness he has done, he believed he was as healthy as he would ever be.

This was until recently, when he tried a new medication in November for the first time which changed everything for him.

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Ben Mudge training. See SWNS story SWTHOR; Super-fit comicbook fan has defied his degenerative lung condition to transform himself into a real-life Thor. A gym fanatic has hit back at his degenerative lung condition and defied doctors expectations by transforming himself into a real-life THOR. Personal trainer Ben Mudge, 27, was born with cystic fibrosis and was spurred into getting fit when his lung function plummeted as a teenager. Doctors told him he'd never fully recover - so he hit the weights to prove them wrong, honed a super-buff physique and improved his health dramatically. But the self-confessed superhero didn't stop there - and when friends at the gym told him he looked a bit like Thor, he grew his hair long in tribute to his favourite hero. Now he's a double of the Chris Hemsworth movie character and posts weekly 'Thorsday' photos online of him dressed as the superhero - complete with hammer. Ben, from Belfast, said:
Mudge transformed his fitness, not letting his condition get in his way. (SWNS)

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

He 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 realised what breathing should feel like!"

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Ben Mudge as a baby. See SWNS story SWOClaugh. 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
Mudge got diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a baby. (SWNS)

He added, "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.

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

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Ben Mudge with with Janice. See SWNS story SWOClaugh. 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
Ben and Janice Mudge. (SWNS)

After being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis as a baby, he grew up as a pale and "really skinny" boy until he started going to the gym in his early twenties.

He had hopes of improving his health and making his lungs stronger to fight the condition, with the welcome addition of the muscles he gained. This is what led him to become a personal trainer, and grow his muscles even more. He now lives with his wife Janice Mudge and their dog Ollie.

It got to the point where he decided to grow out his hair to enhance his likeness to Thor, posing for pictures in full Thor attire, holding the hammer.

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

Super fit Ben Mudge. See SWNS story SWOClaugh. 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
Mudge enjoys playing up to his likeness to Marvel character Thor. (SWNS)

While he'd got himself to a very positive place, Mudge was still dealing with the unshakable effects of his condition. "The worst thing was 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."

But he then decided to try out Kaftrio, a new medication that became available on the NHS in 2020. As he was at his fittest point, he said he wouldn't have been too disappointed if it didn't work, and didn't expect too much.

"But I was so wrong," he said. "Within five hours of taking it, I took a deep breath and didn't ned to cough!

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

He said he never realised how much he would ned to clear his throat, until he no longer needed to anymore. The positive effects of the drug led to him accidentally shout at his neighbour because of how easy it was to speak, compared with what it had been like before.

Watch: Teenager with cystic fibrosis completes a full 'Ironman' during lockdown

He said, movingly, "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 realising what they were missing.

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

"My voice even sounds different!"

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The Thor lookalike, already an inspiration to many children around the country with cystic fibrosis, as well as a support to their parents, says his aim to show young people with the condition it "shouldn't hold them back".

He said: "There's no way of describing how it feels to see the 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'.

"My mission hasn't stopped now, I want to help even more people."

Additional reporting by SWNS.