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This Mother's Day promises to be a huge improvement on last year's holiday for Sally Wanamaker. The Fairfield elementary school teacher's first year of motherhood got off to a rough start when she developed a debilitatingly painful autoimmune condition just days after giving birth to her daughter Lucy last April. "I was in so much pain that I forgot I was a mom sometimes," says Sally. As if that weren't enough of a challenge, only a few more days had passed when Lucy was diagnosed with a serious heart abnormality requiring surgery.
"She had five holes in her heart that needed to be repaired," says Sally. Doctors wanted to operate right away at first, but ultimately decided to delay Lucy's surgery until she was 4 1/2 months old. During that time Sally alternated between worrying about her daughter's health and wondering how she was ever going to manage to be a good mom when she could barely move.
"I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with her," says Sally. "I could barely sit up to get myself out of bed or walk up and down the stairs. I kept thinking, 'How am I going to take care of her?'"
The cause of Sally's illness was, and remains, something of a mystery. "Sometimes doctors refer to it as a spinal cord injury," says Sally, who speculates that a complication during her C-section might have triggered the disease. Other theories revolve around the connection between stress and autoimmune dysfunction. "We'd been trying to have a baby for seven years," says Sally. "Then Lucy was finally born with this life-threatening condition."
Miraculously, Lucy made it through her own surgical ordeal with flying colors. Sally, however, wasn't improving at the same speed. Her doctors weren't sure if her symptoms, which included severe pain, loss of feeling in her extremities and fatigue, would fade with time - or whether they would be lifelong. Frustratingly, there seemed to be little Sally could do to help herself heal. Her neurologist Dr. Peter McAlllister recommended that she get into a regular exercise routine, but Sally found the prospect of dragging her aching body into the gym intimidating.
"I was up late at night a lot, worrying about everything," says Sally. It was during a midnight web-surfing session that Sally came across a call for entries into "Reinvent Yourself for Mother's Day," a contest sponsored by The Pilates Studio of Fairfield. The competition asked for mom "duets" (friend/sister/mother-daughter pairs) to describe in 500 words or less why they should win a free Pilates, Nutrition and Life Coaching program, as well as a head-to-toe makeover, valued at $5,000."The description of moms they were looking for totally defined me," says Sally. She decided to enter with her aunt Julie, who'd been her biggest cheerleader through the toughest of times. Sally was ecstatic when they won. Then, another setback: very early in the 12 week program, her aunt Julie contracted pneumonia and pleurisy and was forced to drop out. Good thing the contest's grand prize had a team of substitute cheerleaders built in: Life Coach Connie Cusick, Pilates instructor Stephanie Peterson and clinical nutritionist Annette Alfieri (pictured, with Sally in front on the right). With their help, Sally pushed forward to fabulous results. Since she's started working out regularly and eating better, her mobility has improved, she can carry her now one-year-old daughter, and even lost 3 1/2 inches off her waist.
"My husband was like, 'Oh my god, you can sit up by yourself!'" says Sally. "Pilates is so gentle and Stephanie was so careful with me and conscious of not causing any injury. And now I eat so much better - actually more than I used to eat, but the right foods at the right times."
The icing on Sally's makeover cake? An all-new look courtesy of area businesses and salons including Island Outfitters and HAIR Salon.
"I'm usually a Marshall's gal, so it was really a treat," says Sally. "I'm thrilled with my new look, but more than that I feel like a new person."
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