Bodybuilder and Instagram influencer who was born with one kidney dies, aged 34, while awaiting a transplant

A body builder influencer who was born with one kidney has died while awaiting a transplant.

Cristhian Annes, aged 34, had only joined the waiting list for a donor organ two months before his death, which happened earlier this month. He had found out his health was rapidly deteriorating after a routine blood test with his girlfriend last year.

The Brazilian bodybuilder, whose full name was Hans Christian Dyck Annes, was admitted to hospital on Saturday January 20 due to health issues associated with his kidney. He died just over two weeks later, on Monday February 5.

So, just who was Annes and what happened to him? And what tributes have been left to him? Here's what you need to know.

Who was Cristhian Annes?

Gym worker Annes was a 34-year-old Brazilian body-builder influencer. He boasted over 42,000 followers on his Instagram page, @treinador_cristhianannes, where he showed off his extremely toned and muscular physique and shared his training routines and schedules with his fans.

Annes' account also featured personal photos of him enjoying luxurious holidays, spending time with his girlfriend Wana Teixeira. He also shared photos of the progress his clients had made with his help. Due to his job, he was a well-known face around his local town.

Alongside his job in the gym, Annes was a high level bodybuilder and took part in multiple championships in Brazil. He was also a postgraduate with a degree in bodybuilding, coaching and sports nutrition, according to local media. In addition, he did some modelling work.

Annes was only born with one kidney but this had not caused his issues for most of his life, according to Teixeira. This was until 2022, when he found out his only kidney had stopped functioning properly and this then caused serious complications.

What happened to Cristhian Annes?

After being told the news that his kidney wasn't performing at it should, Annes at first refused to join the organ donor waiting list in Paraná, Brazil.

“He stayed quiet when he got the results because everything was off, and he didn’t want to tell anyone. He refused to undergo treatment," Teixeira told local media. After around a year, however, he decided to join the waiting list after being advised by his bodybuilding coach that he needed to do so. His girlfriend explained: “Now, finally, he had hope, but there wasn’t enough time.”

Before his sudden and untimely death, Annes was told he had moved up the waiting list into 69th place and that he would get a new kidney within weeks.

Annes found out about the problems he had with his kidney when he visited the hospital to support his girlfriend during her routine blood tests. She has a phobia of needles so Annes got one at the same time to help calm her nerves, even though at that time there was no known reason for him to have one.

When his results came back, however, his blood showed high levels of creatinine and urea which suggested that he had a problem with his kidney.

Doctors advised that Annes should stop spending so much time in the gym as his body needed to rest, but Teixeira said he was so dedicated to training that he refused to stop.

What tributes have been left to Cristhian Annes?

Teixeira posted a black and white image of the pair holding hands with the caption "Eterno", the portugeuse for "eternal" on her Instagram page.

One fan commented on the photo: "My most sincere condolences. May God comfort you and give you the strength you need. You are not alone."

Another person, who appeared to know the couple personally, said: "You can be sure that he will take care of you forever! Your love was strong, you could see it from afar and it will NEVER be lost! You're a strong,warrior woman whom I always admired... Christian sure would want this, he's proud of you sweetheart! I love you so much and I'm with you through and through."

Many clients and fans of Annes have left tributes to him on his Instagram posts. One person wrote: "Oh my God, such sad news! An exceptional, very participative guy and who marked my lesson in Curitiba positively! May God receive him and the family find comfort in this sad moment." Another simply said: "Rest in peace."

One added: "Not believing it .... Go in peace, may God receive you with open arms, you are certainly in a better place now."