Xavier University student inspired by Xavier grad to lose weight

NEW ORLEANS -- A Xavier University student was inspired to change his life by a Xavier graduate who first told his story on Weight Loss Wednesday.

But the two young men never met until Medical Watch arranged a surprise meeting.

Two years ago people were amazed by this 20-year-old whiz kid. Darrin Cook was running his own internet company, graduated from Xavier early and finally accomplished a tough goal, going from 400 to 225 pounds, on his way to his 185 pound goal.

"I remember we went to swim with the dolphins and I had this life vest that was about just say (size) five times and even though it was this large, it was still skin tight and I was like, 'Darrin, this is enough, you know. No more lying to yourself,'" said Cook back in May 2011.

Local radio talk shows and even network news interviewed him. That's when KJ Hill, now a freshman at Xavier, reached out to him for support.

"One day I wanted to go somewhere and I'd been wearing, like, these stretchy shorts and hadn't been wearing jeans or pants for a long time. And one day, I tried to get up and put them on and couldn't wear them," remembers Kaleb Joseph "KJ" Hill.

Darrin never got KJ's message, but KJ worked to lose 110 pounds off of his 360 pound frame. He walked around a gym parking lot, asking to clean the gym in exchange for membership that he could not afford.

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