The Power of Social Networking and a Witty Facebook Status!

I figure I had better start this sometime. I heard about the Free Lap Band Contest by watching KSL one morning. In a "shot-in-the-dark" moment, I entered online. About 2 weeks went by and I honestly forgot about the contest. But, about 8pm one evening, I heard my cell phone beep that I had a missed call and a voicemail. I listened and was stunned to hear that I was a top 5 finalist and had been selected from over a thousand entries. They asked me to come to SLC for an extended appointment the next day. Thanks to a wonderful friend and a supportive husband, I was able to go. I met with a psychologist, a nutritionist, the surgeon, and an exercise expert. Apparently, they were trying to determine if I truly qualified for the surgery, which I was informed 2 days later that I was indeed a top 5 finalist.

I was thrilled, and scared. Was I really ready for this type of life-altering opportunity? Perhaps not, but it was ready for me.

I was informed that the top 5 were going to be listed on a website where the community could vote for the winner after reading our stories. Radio and TV ads were done with our photographs.

Here are the answers that I entered from the beginning of the contest:

HOW HAS OBESITY AFFECTED YOUR LIFE?
I often feel secluded within myself. I find myself withdrawing from activities, which if I weren’t obese, would be so much fun for me. I feel as though I’m holding myself back from my full potential. Some of the excuses I’ve made are, “If I were thinner, I would have gone for that promotion,” or “If I weren’t so fat, I would compete in local sports.” I used to compete in local sports like softball and volleyball, but now I feel as though those activities are impossible.

WHY SHOULD YOU BE SELECTED AS THE WINNER?
I’m tired of my weight being who I am. I know I’m more. I want to be seen as more than “chubby” or “sweet”. I miss the Callie Robbins before the weight. I feel like I gained the weight because of issues years ago. Now that I have let go of the issues, I need to let go of the weight, but I need help doing it. I want a second chance for my daughter who I would like to raise to respect a healthy lifestyle. She was a miracle in my life and I want to be healthy, so I can enjoy so much of it with her. Mostly I want to look in the mirror and LOVE what I see. I want to reflect how I feel inside, a woman of value. I would love that every person who enters this contest to win it, but I know that’s not possible. I just have the hope in my heart for a second chance at living and that I can prove I can do it right this time.

WHAT GOALS DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IF YOU WIN?
I don’t have huge goals. I have a lot of small desires. I want to play with my daughter and not get worn out after ten minutes. I want to be able to exercise and not feel like my world is closing in on me. I hope to someday run a 5K and eventually a half-marathon, maybe more. I want to be healthy enough to have more children, which I know weight loss would help with. I just want to LIVE LIFE like it was meant to be lived.

The first day the contest was posted live, I didn't even know about it. It went live on a Saturday, but I had it in my head that it wasn't going to be posted till Monday. On a whim Saturday evening, I opened the webpage and found that I was at 0%, while Christine Ishmael was at 40%. All the others had small percentages. My heart dropped. I couldn't believe it. I started voting. But even after a few votes, I realized this was bigger than me. I needed help.

No one wants to admit they are fat. They know it in their hearts and their heads. They don't like to hear it out loud because they already assume everyone is talking about it. They feel it everytime they look in the mirror and everytime they try on clothes. However, I don't think anyone wants to hear those words from their own lips, especially admitting it to the world. I discussed with my husband about sending an email to my friends and family and perhaps posting it on Facebook to ask for help in voting. He told me to do it, and promised that I would get the support I needed. I eventually swallowed my pride and sent the email. And, I'll tell you, the response was incredible. Like my friend, Josh, said to me today, "If you've made peace with your decisions, your family and friends should support you, because they love you." He, along with a few others, was my greatest support. After sending the email, my % went from 0 to over 40 in less that 24 hours. After the first week of voting, the percentages were removed from the website. It became my power hour! Some of my good friends posted on their FB pages very clever statuses, asking for help. It was fun for me to read them each day. I really felt so overwhelmed by the incredible support.

It's amazing how many friends came out of the woodwork. I'm so grateful. FB is awesome and my friends/family are awesome! The suspense was terrible over the last week of no %'s. But, the end came finally. I thought the winner was going to be notified on the 7th, but no phone call ever came. My husband called the office, because you could still vote on the website. They told him the contest was indeed over and the winner would be announced on Friday, the 11th. I was pretty bummed. So, on Wednesday when I saw a missed call from the clinic, my heart started beating like crazy. I had a voicemail from Sandee, the contest lead. She told me to call her back so she could tell me who the winner was. I called her back and she told me I WON. I started bawling. All the voting really paid off and I realized I had the best friends in the world. TRULY!

Then my thoughts turned to all of those who didn't win. And I started crying for them. I know what rejection feels like. And this, was the ultimate rejection to them. Talk about dangling a carrot in front of you for so long. Being able to smell it, see it constantly and knowing it was so close. And then, it is ripped away and you don't even get to taste it. I wish we could have all won, but that's not the way it works. I wish them all the best. I pray they get the chance to change their lives as well.