Doctor owes $405,552 in student loans. His side hustle sounds like a joke until you see what his balloon sculptures earn
Despite finding this unusual side hustle, Dr. Brandon Axelrod says that it wasn't without its own pros and cons
Student debt in America has spiraled to the point where it's forcing young professionals to take up wild, desperate sidelines just to stay afloat. Dr. Brandon Axelrod (@doctorbrandini), a 27-year-old surgical resident grinding through grueling shifts in New York City, is one of them. At first glance, his side hustle of crafting intricate life-sized balloon sculptures might seem like a joke. Yet the punchline fades away once you look at how much posting those videos on social media has helped him repay his student loan. He recently shared an update regarding this on August 20, 2026, in a clip that has since garnered a lot of attention, with over 300,000 views.
The mounting debt dilemma
Staring down a daunting opening balance of $405,522.40, Dr. Axelrod realized that his resident salary could only do so much. As an oral and maxillofacial surgery trainee in New York City, he admitted that his day-to-day income was barely enough to "pay for my apartment and eat," while covering recurring interest payments. He understood that if things kept going like this, it would take forever to clear his debt. So, he started searching for a side hustle to make some more money. This hunt ultimately led him to balloon art, a skill he acquired after being inspired by his childhood dentist, hoping it would help him pay his debt.
Launching his social media campaign
At the start of 2026, Axelrod began his social media journey by asking people at the hospital what balloon they would like. Since then, the surgeon has come a long way, racking up millions of views and followers. But it didn't come without adversities. When he rolled out his first repayment update, Axelrod noted that "my balloons are kind of on the expensive side." He then revealed that he roughly required $397 for his operation costs, including high-grade latex and digital tools. Despite the overhead, he stated that he was able to send $2303.23 as his opening payment straight toward the principal amount.
Expanding the side hustle
By his fourth-month check-in, the momentum had surged, as Axelrod was able to make a payment worth $4,532.56. This came as a result of his ability to expand his gig to include social media videos, a hospital gig, and even private commissions. Most importantly, between his first update and the second one, he was able to secure backing from professional manufacturers such as Sempertex and Betallic, sharing that "they are really helping to offset the cost." Confident about the future, he teased that the progress was going much better than he actually anticipated.
Hitting five-figure milestone
Perhaps his biggest update was his most recent one, where his cross-platform audience surpassed 300,000 total followers. Not only that, but Axelrod pointed out that his viral projects alongside Jim Parsons and other major brands also helped him quite a bit. So much so that these deals enabled him to pay off $10,000 of his loan. This pushed his total payoff to $16,826.79, proving that his bizarre side gig is generating massive traction. That being said, Axelrod still has a long way to go with his current loan balance at $386,000. However, if he continues to be dedicated to the cause, there's no reason to believe he cannot achieve his target.
Students are drowning in debt
Dr. Axelrod is not the only medical graduate facing significant financial challenges. According to the AAMC, 70% of medical students have educational debt. Among graduates, 85% have debts of $100,000 or more, while 59% owe at least $200,000 and 28% owe $300,000 or more. The median medical education debt among indebted students is $215,000, a 5% increase from 2024. The figures highlight the financial burden many medical students face even after completing their education.
'If a mortgage can be at 2.5%, so should a student loan'
This explained exactly why people were happy to see Axelrod think outside of the box, while also bringing attention to this issue. @eddie_spaghetti_nyc wrote, "Wooo!! Keep up the amazing work, Dr. Brandini!! Love watching your progress and amazing sculptures." At the same time, @auscgirl argued, "$27k/year in interest alone is insane and should be outlawed. That is just absurd. If a mortgage can be at 2.5%, so should a student loan."
Follow Dr. Brandon Axelord (@doctorbrandini) for more balloon content and loan updates.
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