My journey to & through the 2009 FAME World Championships
~ A bitter sweet roller coaster~

The day that I saw the posting for the 2009 FAME World Event to be held June 12-14th 2009 I knew this was the event for my come back after taking almost 7 years off from competition. It all seemed so perfectly timed! It was to be held on the day of my 46th birthday & was being put on by a group of individuals who really DO care about each and every athlete, their personal stories, accomplishments and dreams. It seemed so perfect & I knew this one was the one for me! When I received my Athlete membership card it was confirmed even more as my Athlete # was 0001!

I became a part of the Body Proud Community and began to realize very quickly that the support from all involved; everyday people with personal stuggles, former athletes right down to the promoters' was overwhelming and humbling! I began the regime of training, dieting and juggling all of my jobs, hobbies & goals & every day life while I prepared for the big event. In early December 2008 a road block appeared when I found out that my Sister Kim who had recently battled lung cancer & won was now diagnosed with brain cancer. I drew my energy to go on from my sister as her overwhelming will to survive this was INCREDIBLE! If she could endure the constant probing, chemo, brain surgery (gamma knife radiation) and now radiation therapy and still remain calm, focused & positive then I could surely get up and over this hurdle. We supported each other and what was once for years a strained relationship, brought us closer then we had ever been throughout our entire lives.

The months whizzed by in a flurry and I wondered & doubted myself often but always received positive reinforcement from family, friends, and a community of body proud individuals that I had never even personally met. Before I knew it the big day was almost upon me. What made this event most exciting was that my sister was going to travel a 4 hr drive to Montreal to be with me and support me during this amazing & important time in my life even after all that she was enduring. WHAT STRENGTH!! This drove me to push myself even harder as I could not let her down.

While prepping for the big day I met another amazing individual on Body Proud; Jenny Arnold. I found Jenny's profile on Body Proud and contacted her to help assist me with the choreography of my routine. Jenny & I worked hard & put together an awesome routine that we thought would really bring some fun & entertainment to the FAME stage. I wanted to put my personality into my routine & really showcase "ME" and who I am. It was a success! Jenny & I became very close throughout the preparation for the big event and she also became my ROCK when the roller coaster began.

I received a phone call from my sister’s husband on June 1st and the news was not good. My sister had taken a turn for the worse and was not expected to recover. Instead of my sister making the journey to Montreal to see me & support me, I found myself boarding a plane on June 4th to be with her, support her and encourage her to keep up the fight that was clearly taking it's toll on her mentally & physically. I pulled a few all nighter's until 5am to catch up on work that needed to be done as I run a business from my home, as well as my personal training and other 9-5 work but managed to pull it off. When I entered her hospital room I didn't even recognize my sister and was stunned by how this horrifying disease had transformed a vibrant, bubbly, strong & loving person to one could barely open her eyes or move without being in severe pain. The steroids had taken their toll on her body and her muscles had deteriorated to the point that she had not even the strength to even sit up on her own. When I arrived in PA I was overwhelmed by the support of the small town in which she resided. She was clearly loved by absolutely everyone and the out pour of support was dumb founding to say the least! The local gym gave me the key to the front door and allowed me to continue on my training at any hour of the day, or night & the local restaurants prepped my food to order. The local high school soccer teams all wore bandana's on their head during their games in support of my sister and the town also formed a team for an upcoming marathon for cancer research called "Kimmi's Keepers". Her hospital room was constantly inundated with a unstoppable stream of people arriving to show their amazing unselfish support & love. I was truly overwhelmed!   

We hung the 2009 FAME WORLD Event poster on my sister’s hospital room wall in front of her bed and even though she was weak, she was still so excited for me & couldn't wait for the event and was disappointed in herself that she could not attend. The Nurses & Dr's were also so supportive & excited and wanted to be a part of my amazing journey & wished the event was televised so they could watch and cheer me on. The days in which I had with my sister passed far to quickly but during that time she sprung back amazingly! The day before I had to leave to come back home she was actually sitting up in a chair and playing Yahtzee with family & friends and even writing her own scores down. Of course she beat us all with triple Yahtzee's in each game LOL During my time there I managed to get on the internet, and was inundated by emails from FAME re registration confirmation etc. I was not able to log onto bodyproud to complete the required documentation and became absolutely frantic! I emailed Jeffery Kippel who reassured me that all would be taken care of.  I also received an email from my dear friend & previous fellow Competitor Sherry Wilson who had put together for me a calendar with a day by day breakdown of food, water & exercise consumption for me to follow which helped me TREMENDOUSLY in following my diet as well as  water consumption & depleting & days of exercise & intensity  right up to the day I stepped out onto the stage!  Again.. WHAT AMAZING SUPPORT!! I couldn't believe how everything was still falling into place and how everyone was such amazingly supportive!!

As there was no other treatment left to help my sister except for the regime of steroids, our family & Dr's decided it was best for Kim to have hospice set up at home for her. During this time she could try to recover or if that was not in god's plan, then she would at least be comfortable in her own environment for her final time here on this earth. She was excited to go home & be with her pets & friends & was making plans to do her gardening & baking. I had taken some exercise bands with me and gave them to her, showed her how to use them to help strengthen her arms & legs and she used them during the days I was there religiously. I was amazed at her will to survive & the improvement of her strength over such a short period of time!

The day came that my brother & I had to leave to come back home. We were ok with that as Kim seemed to be so full of life and vibrant at the time. Her daughter Jenna was to arrive that evening/morning @ 2am and we pulled an all-nighter in her hospital room awaiting her arrival. After visiting for a few hours with my Niece that we had never met, my brother and I had to say our good bye's and leave @ 4am to catch our flight back home. It was a difficult good bye but we felt very positive about the progress Kim had made and were happy that her daughter could take our place at her side as we hugged & kissed her and said our good byes. The last thing I told my sister was "This one's for you Kimmy!! I'm going to do my best to make you proud of me!!"

I arrived back home on the evening of June 8th and was literally reeling with the overwhelming amount of work to catch up on while still having to prepare & pack for my departure to Montreal June 10th. Again I worked through the night to ensure all work in regards to my clients & employers was complete, prepped & packed my food according to my schedule that Sherry had sent me and grabbed as many bottles of distilled water I could consume on the way to the airport..(thanks again to Sherry Wilson who had picked it up for me & dropped it off) before leaving @ 3am to catch my plane for Montreal. "What the hell" I said.. "I'll just sleep on the plane!" and I did. 
It all seemed so surreal. Here I was.. sitting on a plane on my way to Montreal... FINALLY! I couldn't believe I had pulled it off!! Amazingly enough sitting right across from me was Meghan, the Registration Administrator for the FAME World Tour! She recognized me as a competitor (thankfully LOL) and introduced herself. When we landed we shared a taxi to the host hotel. Upon arrival everything was still such a blur & I couldn't believe I was actually there!! My thoughts were on the upcoming events and at the same time with my sister. I was excited, and exhausted all at the same time! Jenny Arnold was anxiously awaiting my arrival as we were sharing the hotel room that was supposed to be shared with my sister. I am grateful for Jenny's support and ability to attend the show at the last minute as the expense for the hotel would not go to waste. Everything seemed to STILL be working out & I wondered how many more horse shoes I could pull out of my a**! LOL

The day after my arrival in Montreal Jenny & I attended the infamous photo shoot in Old Montreal where we were met with amazing support from people both local and from all over the world who gathered during the shoot and were so amazed at our accomplishments. They literally lined up to have pictures taken with us and were excited about our adventure. It was truly an amazing day.. which was abruptly cut short by the arrival of the local Police who informed us that it was illegal to take pictures on the streets of Montreal!?!?! Oh well, I was exhausted anyhow and needed to start the painting process of my tan anyhow. Of course we would have arrived back a LOT earlier to the hotel room if Kevin F. didn't have a craving for a Nutella crepe LMAO!! (kidding Kevin ;-) I love ya dearly!!)

The event kicked off on Friday and the entire weekend was a whirl wind of events! All involved turned out to be truley amazing individuals and I made life long friendships throughout such a short period of time! On Friday I placed 5th in Muscle Model, Saturday I placed 2nd in Open Bodybuilding, but Sunday was the day that all of my hard work was finally realized. The Judges were also excited as it was the last time they had to watch my routine! LOL It was the day of my 46th Birthday which I actually forgot about until I received a text from my Brother in LA. I competed in Grand Masters' Bodybuilding and placed 1st! WHOOOTTT!!! What a complete THRILL!!!!! Receiving my Sword was the most amazing feeling!! I DID IT KIMMY!!!! It was all I could do to hold back the tears!!! I immediately texted my Neice to tell her the news so she could pass it along to my sister :)

After the event was over off we went to celebrate my win & my Birthday! I ate the BIGGEST bowl of pasta I had ever seen in my life & I wasn't sharing either!! I think I even licked the plate!! Later we arrived back at the hotel for a few more drinks and celebrations but the celebrating soon came to an end with the ring of my phone. I received the call I had been dreading for months. My dear dear Sister had passed away and began her journey to her final resting place @ 11:35pm that evening. The news literally crippled me but the out pour of support & love from EVERYONE who surrounded me at that moment was truly overwhelming!! Jenny, Max, Kevin, Meagan, Adam, Willa, Tim & his wife, & Mike all surrounded me with their incredible love and support. I can't even begin to explain the feeling that took me over at that time and the prayers with Kevin & Jenny at that moment got me through what seemed like an eternity in just a few short seconds. I can't even imagine going through that moment alone which is how I would have normally dealt with such a circumstance.

Now I have returned home, although still numb and walking in circles, I realize that the events of the past weekend were truly life altering. I met an amazing group of people who have lifted me up to another level in my life and have made me realize how important friendship is. I will NEVER forget the people who came into my life in such a short period of time and will never let them leave my life. I plan to grow personal relationships with each and every one of them and go on to be a vital part of the body proud community for years to come. This is the beginning of yet another fork in my road of life.. and another goal to accomplish. Now... back to reality while I prepare for my next goal. Having a healthy mind, body, & soul and teaching others to obtain their goals and over come their obstacles what ever they may be is now more important to me then ever before!

I AM BODY PROUD!!!!