It was quite an extraordinary journey on the FabOver40 and National Breast Cancer Foundation campaign trail, and I am excited to share a little about the experience.

I can attest to my newfound determination to succeed and the unwavering willpower this campaign/competition birthed within me. I discovered the potential that I did not know I had and matured exponentially over the eight-week competition, becoming a better version of myself.

I never considered myself competitive, but this competition proved me otherwise. I was a confident woman prior, but my confidence has been magnified and taken on a life of its own.

My faith developed and strengthened as I saw the miraculous work of my Creator, God, cradling and carrying me through each round by nothing short of divine intervention. There were times when only seconds were left on the clock before my ranking position changed to first place.

Particularly, going from last place (14th) to 1st place in the semifinals was no easy feat, but my campaing team and I persevered and did it.

Indeed, my network of voters and supporters helped me accomplish the semifinal win. And with that miraculous rise to 1st place, I secured my spot into the Finals.

I am proud that I showed up for myself this time around and of what I endured to make it to the Finals. For the naturally introverted person that I am, the intensity of being on the gloabal stage and being in the spotlight felt unerving at first but I also learned to refraim the labels and limitations I placed on myself, in addition to the the lenses I see myself through.

There were days when doubt momentarily crossed my mind, but I gave God my tiny trust, and He came through for me round after round. I am now a firm believer in the power of having faith in my dreams, goals and pursuits and then doing eveything withon my power to attain what I am striving to achieve.

I believed in winning the competion, and while I did not obtain the desired cash prize and title, the rewards I walked away with are far more than materialistic. I am not the same person I was prior to this competition and I learned that growth and maturity doen’t need to take years.

I gave this campaing my best an effort and did the work in campaigning while I faced rejection, but I kept going.

I have also been impressed by the kindness of strangers who consistently voted for me daily and shared my voting link. Even contestants who got eliminated joined my team afterwards. Words do not do justice in expressing my appreciation to those who took the time to cast a vote, whether it was 1 or 10 times.

The Final 14

In the Finals, 14 women, including yours truly campaigned to raise more awareness and funds to help women in need.

Each of us eyed the grand prize-winning package of being named Ms. FabOver40, a cash award of $40,000, a two-page spread in New Beauty Magazine, and a three-day, two-night spa getaway.

My voters and supporters have donated well over $43,000 on my behalf, which has dramatically helped the National Breast Cancer Foundation. And cumulatively, we all raised over $7 million dollars to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation charity.

Remarkably, my husband and brother have gone all out financially to support this fundraising event on my behalf and to help keep me in the competition. Each donation vote added to the National Breast Cancer Foundation Fund and helped move me along in the competition.

Creating an impact of this magnitude speaks to the global force that women are when we come together in a unified goal for good.

Closing Thoughts

I have been a part of a life-changing event and encouter that was much more extensive than myself, and I will remember and cherish this experience for life.

I will also, always be reminded that the courage to begin build confidence along the way. Hence, pursuing one’s dreams is not solely dependent in figuring out all the perfect steps to take at once. Instead, having the courgae to begin and figure things out along the way is how dreams become reality.