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support of Doherty’s gym, prep would have
been even more difficult.
It was also the experience of the I Am A
Fighter and GoFundMe campaigns, and all
the online support, that helped to keep me
motivated and lifted my spirits when I was in
pain and exhausted.
The second lesson was seeing all my hard
work pay off, not because I was super-lean, but
because I knew what I had put into prep. All
the hard work and self-belief meant I got to go
up on that stage and show the world that you
end up where you tell yourself you are worthy
of being.
It is my hope that sharing my story inspires
someone to believe in themselves and maybe
try something that they didn’t think they were
capable off.
If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s this.
When you believe in yourself, anything is
possible. I’m living proof. Now I can’t wait to do
it all again for the Arnolds next year.me he had shared my story with a contact at
Channel 7 to see if they would be interested in
my story. Then something amazing happened.
I got a call from a journalist mere hours after
getting the quote for the prosthetic legs.
I set up a
GoFundMe page
and before I
knew it, I found
myself on the
Channel 7 news
talking about my
bodybuilding
competition
and needing
new prosthetic legs. Once the story went live,
I was so humbled by the generosity of people.
I saw donations coming in, with words of
encouragement and support.
Then another amazing thing happened.
Within 24 hours of my appearance, I was
contacted by Sam Greco, the founder of ‘I Am
A Fighter’, and they funded my new prosthetic
legs. The generosity from all who’d donated
to my GoFundMe page and the I Am A Fighter
campaign brought me back to my ‘why’.
I remembered why I had started this
journey in the first place. Every bit of prep
became worth it. The chronic pain, broken
feet, stress over new prosthetic legs — it was all
worth it, because people believed in me.
I knew I had a point to prove.
THREE WEEKS
OUT
The process for new legs begins. The new
design looks great, but more importantly
they would fit better, giving me much-needed
comfort. It would be cutting it close, but I
would have new prosthetic legs for show day.
ON E DAY OUT
It’s funny how life works. I get my new legs the
night before I have to go on stage.
The stress of getting new legs is like getting
a new body part. They feel foreign to me,
and it’s like learning to walk again. By now,
though, I take it as part of how prep has been
for the whole 20 weeks. While life can be seen
as stressful or unfair, we have a choice to push
through and work for what it is we want in life.
S HOW DAY: 8
OCTOBER 2017
The day starts early at 6am. I begin doing my
makeup and the butterflies settle in. I arrive
at the venue and sit in the athletes’ meeting.
It feels so surreal to be there attending as
an athlete, mainly because for all of my life
I’d been told I didn’t have to participate —
and now here I was sitting as an athlete at a
bodybuilding show.
My new prosthetic legs were causing me
pain, so I spent
much of the day
backstage taking
them off for rest
periods. Then
the moment
was here. I was
standing on
stage in a bikini
after 20 weeks
of prep. I took a moment and breathed it in.
My first thought was ‘I did it!’ I worked
hard to be there, and when most people
would have quit, I kept going and used it
as motivation to push forward. Through
the blood, sweat, tears, broken feet, and
everything in between, I believed in myself.POST-SHOW
Upon reflecting about the whole experience,
I learnt two major things. The first was how
to lean on people and accept help. It was my
close family and friends supporting me every
step of the way that got me through those low
and lonely moments. Without them and theCONNECT WITH VANESSA
Instagram: @vanessacalafiore
YouTube: youtube.com/
VanessaCalafiore
Facebook: facebook.com/
VanessaCalafiore“I WOULD COMPETE
TO PROVE THAT
IF YOU BELIEVE IN
YOURSELF, ANYTHING
IS POSSIBLE.”