Success is a journey, not a destination."

During high school, I participated in Track and Field – it was during this period that I was introduced to weight lifting. I yearned to achieve the toned, muscular look, so I would hit the weights a few days after school. After graduating, I stopped weight training, as I was caught up in spending as much time as possible with friends before we left for college. Then, while attending the University of Delaware I decided that it was time to start going to the gym. One morning during my freshman year, before Thanksgiving break, I awoke from sleeping and my body was shaking uncontrollably – I thought that I was having a seizure. After what seemed like an eternity, it stopped. I slid off of my top bunk to go and call my mother and when I landed on my left leg it felt almost numb. My family and I shrugged it off as a pinched nerve or something of the sort – until it happened again. I went for an MRI on December 24, 1998, during Christmas break, and I was told that I would need to have brain surgery. I had the scare of my life – anxiety took over and I became seriously depressed.

"The road is often bumpy. You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals."

Booker T. Washington.

The brain surgery, performed on December 28, 1998 by Jeffrey Oppenheim – who I believe to be a true angel - revealed that I had what was described as a granuloma on the right side of my brain. After a series of tests on this granuloma, the only way that Dr. Oppenheim could describe it to me was similar to a pimple – just in a very bad spot. The area where the granuloma was situated pressed against the part of my brain that affected my left leg causing my leg (and therefore my body) to shake uncontrollably. My left leg still bothers me at times – but I am so blessed that the brain surgery revealed a granuloma instead of something more serious. This was in fact the scariest time of my life; it took me a long time to recover mentally and emotionally. As a matter of fact, I am forever changed as a result. I was always religious, as I went to Catholic school my whole life; however it was at this point in time that my faith became a huge part of my life. It was also at this time that I developed a strong reverence for St.Therese (thanks to my aunt Marybeth).

"Unleash the power within yourself. What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters when compared to what lies within us."

With the help of God, my family and my friends, along with my strength and determination, I returned to college right after Christmas break.

My passion for bodybuilding kicked into high gear during my junior year when I started training in preparation for Spring Break to Acapulco, Mexico. My best friend, inspiration, and roommate, Melissa, and I would wake up before 6 a.m. to train at the university gym facility every day before class. The results that I saw for Acapulco were good, however I was determined – and on my way – to achieving “the look” that I envisioned. I continued to train almost every day and spent countless hours in between class and homework on the Internet looking for new diet plans and different exercises to utilize at the gym.

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already achieved, you will never grow."

After I graduated, I joined Premier Fitness in Nanuet, NY where there were many athletes that trained for bodybuilding and figure competitions. I developed a strong desire to compete - this would become my next goal. In March, 2004 I competed in the Natural Bodybuilding Inc. Tri-State in West Nyack, NY, which was sponsored by Premier Fitness. There I took first place in the Figure short class!