Mom By Day, Pageant Queen By Night

I woke up this morning in time to give my kids breakfast, and change my youngest daughter's diaper. It was a stark contrast to the fancy gown and crown I wore the night before I was crowned Mrs. Illinois International. Real life goes on.

My husband first suggested I run for Mrs. Illinois as a way of focusing on something fun while getting back in shape after having four kids. When I read about the importance of charity and community involvement in the Mrs. Illinois International pageant, I knew that I had found the perfect fit.

Having been heavily involved in community and volunteerism, the most difficult task was choosing which direction to follow. With my four darling daughters in mind, I decided to focus on Character Education. We have a program in Elmhurst called ‘Character Counts!’ The organization caught my eye and I knew it would benefit Illinois if I were chosen to spend a year working there.

Then in the middle of preparing for my pageant, a life changing moment occurred. After having surgery to repair a hernia, I had a blood clot that developed into a pulmonary embolism. It could have been fatal had I not been fortunate enough to go to the emergency room immediately as I started feeling ill. Luckily it is under control, but 50 percent of my lung capacity was affected.

My first reaction was to call the pageant director and pull out of the competition. She urged me to relax, get well and rethink my decision. It turned out to be the best advice. I decided to continue on in the competition.

I worked out, only now at a much slower pace. I wasn’t about to get on stage unless I was absolutely certain that I was well prepared, toned and the best me that I could be. So I worked extremely hard on everything I could: walking, talking and going through some of the toughest workouts I’ve experienced.

Today, as I went for a 3-mile run to release some of the tension with catching up with work, kids, and life in general, I realized the secret to my success.

I surrounded myself with the best team one could hope for. My children were my cheerleaders and my husband helped me with my platform speech and took on additional duties with the kids and at home. This gave me the extra time needed to run to the seamstress and to work with my pageant coach and trainer. My babysitter took on the extra responsibilities of organizing and managing our home and the kids' harried schedules. My neighbors and family pitched in by hosting play dates for my daughters and carpooling to various activities. A friend with pageant experience held a mock interview asking me just about everything under the sun. By the time the pageant came around I felt nervous but ready to give it a go.

The show lasted two hours but the memories of the weekend spent with the most talented, generous and kind women will last forever. I was honored to be among some of our state’s most dedicated women who each represent a wonderful cause and who balance life, children and work on a daily basis and still find time for themselves. I was inspired and moved to learn about what motivated them to decide to participate in the competition and I’ve made some great friendships along the way. Sunday night, as my husband was placing the crown on top of my head, I knew that my year was going to be a highlighted with opportunities to make a difference.

When I woke up this morning as the mom who needs to pack the lunch and the business owner who juggles conference calls with a mile long to-do list, I smiled. I realized that preparing for this pageant and going through everything over the last seven months was tough, but worth every minute. For now it’s back to reality, and time to focus on my next challenge: potty training.

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Christine Garcia is founder and president of Plan It PR, a public relations and marketing firm. She dishes tips and survival stories in “Play Dates and Power Lunches.” Ms. Garcia started working public relations after a long career in broadcast journalism, which included work as a television anchor, reporter and producer.