My friend SHAY!!!!

When I started Graduate school in 2007 I never knew I would meet one of the most amazing women ever!!! Shay is one of the best people I know. She worked 3 jobs at one point just to make it through grad school. She struggled through childhood growing up in foster care and beat the odds and not only graduated high school, but college and then graduate school. She constantly sought to support everyone in our graduating class. She always had a smile on her face and a great sense of humor. Even though she was facing her own inner struggles, she never quit, never gave up, and never stopped serving the community and advocating for what she believed in.

In 2009 a few months before graduation we took the opportunity to go to the capitol in Sacramento and lobby for some very important social work bills, one specifically for foster care. Here we are displaying our posters to lobby on the capitol steps. Shay is on the left, our good friend Jenn is in the middle, and of course I am on the right.


Just after Lobby Days Shay shared with me her application to be a participant on the biggest loser. Anything she needed help with, I was there. Video camera...check. Computer software....check. I knew this was a journey that Shay really wanted and needed. Although she never complained about her weight, I knew it was something she struggled with daily, and really wanted to see her smile with confidence and love and see herself as we all saw her.....an amazing, beautiful, compassionate, and dedicated woman willing and ready to take on the world!!!!

When she was accepted onto the biggest loser it was the best announcement ever. She would have to miss the last few weeks of grad school and graduation....but that wouldn't stop her. As her classmates, we stood behind her 100%, we all sent letters cheering her on, decorated our grad caps in her honor, and even video taped the graduation with many of us giving messages of motivation and support. I even made a cut out of her and glued a grad cap onto it and had people take pictures with the cut out so she had some graduation pictures, even if she couldn't be there.

When Shay started on the Biggest Loser she weighed 476lbs....she is the largest female contestant ever on the show. She pushed and pushed herself and finally the game strategies caught up with her and she was voted off week 11....after losing 100lbs!!!!!!!! I got to attend her reveal party after she got sent home and it was amazing to see her renewed hope, strength and confidence she found in herself through her journey.....but it wasn't over. At the finale of the show she was offered a special challenge from Subway since she still had a long way to go before she was at a healthy weight. For every pound she lost from that day until the finale of the next season of the Biggest Loser....about 5 months....she would receive $1,000!!!! Well, the finale was just the other night and let me tell you, she looked amazing!!!!!

Are you ready to see the change?

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WOW!!!!!!!!

She lost 52lbs winning $52,000 but the challenge didn't stop there....Subway extended the challenge and offered to double her winnings if she agreed to run a marathon at the end of the year....her answer...YES!!!! She weighs in at 252lbs now losing a total of 224lbs in less than a year!!!!

Like I said, when I started Graduate school I never knew I would meet one of the most amazing women ever!!! Shay has inspired me to eat healthier, work out, and most of all, never give up!!! I am so proud to call this extraordinary woman my friend!!!

To learn more about Shay and her journey visit her website or just google her name...Shay Sorrells and you will find plenty of great articles and blogs about how she has inspired so many!
I love you Shay!!!!