The Big Day!

Yesterday I woke up early. I sat in the living room enjoying the dark quiet of the early morning while sipping on coffee. Despite my fears about being portrayed poorly on camera and somehow failing my amputee peers, I tried to relax and enjoy the moment. After all, this was an extraordinary opportunity and I wanted to be completely in the moment and soak up every detail.

Robby woke up sometime during my third cup of coffee. I made him an Eggo, gave him a cup of milk and turned on Scooby Doo. He was content eating breakfast with the Mystery Gang, and I needed time to get ready.

I washed, dried and carefully styled my hair. My face was scrubbed, polished and meticulously painted to provide a "natural" look. Looking in the mirror, I have to admit that I was pleased with the reflection. Although I'm no model, I cleaned up pretty darn good!

Feeling upbeat, I started to get dressed in my first layer of Lycra undergarments. I put on the tummy band first, followed by the "trimming shorts" and finally struggled into the bust-less halter top (which promised to slim the back, sides and waist while enhancing the chest). By the time I was squeezed into all of my body slimmers I had worked myself into a full sweat and was exhausted by the aerobic contortions required to push everything into place. Lesson learned- I should have put on the Lycra before styling my hair and applying my make-up!

With my hair restyled and make-up reapplied, we set out for our big adventure. I was grateful that Ms. Dominique, Robby's former teacher, was available to help me for the day . Robby was shocked when we drove up to her house and she walked out the front door. "I didn't know Ms. Dominique lives in a house. I thought she lived at school!" Within seconds he was chatting non-stop with his favorite teacher.

The photo and video shoot went seamlessly. I wore a total of four outfits, and we shot video in several locations. The director seemed particularly thrilled with a piece of video that shows Robby and me racing up a grass hill. If that clip is used in the commercial, you will see that Robby indeed cheated and had a significant head start!

The interview portion, which always makes me nervous, seemed to flow naturally. They quickly stopped asking me questions and opted to allow me to speak from my heart. I don't remember everything that I said, but I do remember saying, "I'm a mother, a wife, a writer, a teacher, a friend and a sister. I am also an amputee. I define myself by what I have accomplished and the person that I have become, not by my missing limb."

I guess we'll have to wait for the clips to be edited before I know how I did, but I think it went well. I'll keep you posted!