Retired Bodybuilder Fouad Abiad Has a Long Recovery Ahead of Him — What Happened?

In November 2021, Canadian professional bodybuilder Fouad Abiad retired from the sport he loved. He shared the news in a YouTube video where he discussed shifting into becoming a commentator.

Much of Fouad's decision to retire was based partly on the deaths of two fellow bodybuilders and partly on his concern about pushing his body too hard. At the age of 43, Fouad was no longer a young man, at least when it came to bodybuilding.

Four years later, his wife, Sommer Abiad, shared upsetting news on her Instagram. During a motorcycle trip with some friends in June 2025, Fouad was involved in an accident.

She assured fans that her husband was "receiving the best possible care." Sommer went on to say that she was unable to provide any more details at the time and asked for privacy. What happened to Fouad Abiad? Here's what we know.

Two weeks after his accident, Fouad appeared on the Bro Chat podcast where he went into detail about what happened to him. Recording from the hospital, Fouad said he met up with friends in California to go on a three-day motorcycle trip.

While heading back home on the last day, Fouad was leaning into a corner when he hit a pothole. The back of the wheel popped up, and though Fouad tried to stop that from happening, he flew over the handlebars of his bike.

Fouad landed in a ditch and told the Bro Chat hosts that he remembered hitting the ground and thinking his helmet saved his life.

"I remember screaming, 'Get my helmet off my head.'" Fouad said he was feeling claustrophobic and needed to be able to breathe. The next thing he knew, Fouad was being lifted up and put into the back of a pickup truck that brought him to a helicopter.

While in the helicopter, a paramedic told Fouad that she had to puncture his lung. If she didn't, he was going to die.

"All I see is her take a needle and jab it into my chest. For the next five days, Fouad was in and out of consciousness and was on life support. Doctors had to save his life three different times, and he ultimately needed surgery to fuse his neck. One of his lungs had also collapsed.

Fouad has been sharing updates on Instagram about his recovery. On June 27, Fouad posted a Reel where he was walking for the first time.

In it, he is wearing a neck brace while his wife supports him. A few days later, Fouad thanked his wife, family, and the medical team who had been helping him during this difficult time.

"I just wanted to demonstrate in a small way how many people it takes to save a life, and to them I am forever grateful," he wrote in the caption of an Instagram post.

He was back in the gym on July 9, starting off easy with some bicep curls using a light dumbbell. That same day, Sommer uploaded an emotional post to her Instagram, writing about the terror she felt at the thought of losing Fouad.

Sommer said she was endlessly grateful for the fact that he was still here and still fighting. "Every moment now feels more sacred than the last."