Hello Martha,

It was such joy to work with you and the other volunteers the other night (Monday 11/7/16).
As I shared with you the other night, This is where it all started for me. My Sisters pantry was the first "Volunteer" opportunity I had after a life changing event.
In March 2012 I decided to make a drastic change in my life. My weight loss journey would begin at 306 pounds. I lost 100 pounds in 9 months and 156 pounds in 1 year. I was given a chance life that would have been taken away if my weight was not under control. Once I met my goal weight it occurred to me that I had gotten my life back. I was given another chance at a new life. I wanted to give people hope. It didn't matter if it was weight loss, addiction, or a disability...I wanted to inspire others to make something matter. Life matters.
I started volunteering once a month. I chose a different charity each month. Anything from Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, or The Wounded Warrior project. I wanted to give back. My very first opportunity presented at My Sisters pantry. Giving back to a community I have lived in for several years. I had such a fulfilling experience it set my goals in to motion.

In December 2014 I was enjoying a normal evening with my husband. I told him I was having some trouble taking a deep breath and I started going downhill very quick. I was rushed to the emergency room where I fell to the floor and was pronounced dead in the emergency room lobby. I was rushed away and taken in to surgery immediately as my abdomen swelled to a balloon. It occurred to the doctors I was lucky to even be on the table, having surgery and that I could possibly make it through this trauma. I was given a 20 % change to have a normal life. I had 6 surgeries in 5 days, placed in a drug induced coma for 10 days and was left with a colostomy bag, 18 inches of intestine (as apposed to 23 feet) and was given a gastric tube and total nutrition through a port in my chest.

I had a life changing experience. It took me over a year to recover. I returned to work in 3 months after the ordeal (part time) and after 6 months (full time). I continued to inspire those around me. I have taken this life and made it purpose driven. I was given a chance to make a change with weight loss, however it was not my purpose. As life would take me in a different direction, I have found that my life is much more than my weight. I have a story to tell. I have been to the ends of the earth and back. I have made my life about giving back and making sure people know, "When you think it couldn't be any worse" you have to try. Try to find the good in people. Find the good in your situation. Find the good in life.
I have made many changes in life but paying it forward is my purpose.

I have found my way back to volunteering because it is what I was meant to do. I was meant to inspire those who think life could not be any worse. It can.

I came back to the first place I ever "paid it forward" and am thankful that even if I don't get to share my story with others, I have made a difference in the lives I have been fortunate to be a part of.

May life bless those who come in contact with the blessings around them. Yours, Mine and theirs.

To the World I am one, To One I am the World"

Shellie Tedrick
Volunteer