My name is Lisa Couture. I am a 48 y/o single Mom of three. My kids are 20, 19 and 17. The person my kids have grown up with is a different person than I once was.
My whole life, I have struggled with severe vision issues, but for a good part of that life, I was able to overcome and achieve on a normal path despite them. I excelled in school and played 4 sports in high school. I thrived on competition and the success it brought with it. I honestly expected it to continue.
After my children were born, my vision drastically deteriorated. I was forced to stop working, driving and after fighting it for a couple years, started to walk with a white cane. I no longer thought I could ever participate in any competitive sport again.
I also was in a very unhappy marriage which ended in 2012. All of the changes sent me spiraling into depression and my weight skyrocketed as my negative self-image weighed heavy on my heart and soul.
In 2018, after I tipped the scales at over 300 lbs I decided I needed to take my life back. Since that time, I have lost 140 lbs.
In February 2020, I decided to get a group of friends together and run the Tampa MudGirl.
I have no idea what possessed me to sign up for this considering I knew I would need to be guided through the whole course and I have a horrible fear of heights! I just knew I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone. I truly believe I needed to be challenged physically, mentally and emotionally, so I could “see” my true potential as a person.
Nothing could have prepared me for the sense of accomplishment and exhilaration I got the day we completed that course. It sparked something in me I had not felt in a very long time. For years, I had defined myself as a wife and mother. On that day, I truly felt the old Lisa, a person in and of herself, coming back to life.
I did not feel blind that day. I felt strong and empowered. Along the way, so many other women cheered me on. It was awe-inspiring and emotional. It also helped me to finally embrace the fact that I inspire others. That has been something that has been hard for me to do.
We are truly capable of overcoming so many obstacles in our lives. We just need to take the first step forward even when it is scary and when we do not feel the least bit brave. That is when we have to not only look inside ourselves, but also look outside ourselves and accept the help others are willing to offer.
I am so proud to be part of the Pink Army!
- Lisa