Former OBVIOUS cover model, Derrick Smith, talks how life-changing events altered his mindset, weight gain and weight lost; his personal journey.

I’m a model and looking at me you may not see flaws or think I had to endure tough things, but my life hasn’t always been so easy. I’ve struggled with things in my life that some people deal with everyday. As a kid I was in special education (only due to my behavior and way of thinking at the time) from second grade all the way until I entered high school. But during that time I went to a mental hospital on two separate occasions and I struggled with my emotions from my dad being out of my life. I threatened to commit suicide. So I was placed there and it was very hard being away from home as a child. The staff would hit me. I even have a scar on my left eyebrow to this day from being restrained and slammed face first onto the ground.