Even after undergoing four surgeries that left her bedridden for half a year, Long Beach local Sunny Daye used prayer and affirmation to keep her dreams of being a professional bodybuilder alive.
Due to her inspirational story, Daye was named a finalist in the health and wellness category of Amazing Women.
Daye, a fitness trainer and professional bodybuilder competitor, said her life radically changed when she was told she had a 4-pound tumor in her stomach. She said she underwent her first surgery thinking it would solve her health problem, but it only worsened her condition. She said throughout the process, her ureter chord was cut, a tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder.
“I’m so thankful for my urologist who always kept me motivated through spirituality and faith,” Daye said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without his support – he always referred to me as an athlete.”
After visiting various hospitals and undergoing two more surgeries, she said she was happy to be alive despite the difficult road she has persevered.
“I wasn’t able to walk my dog, I was on a lot of medication,” she said. “It was difficult believing my abdominal would be toned by the time I had to walk on stage wearing a fancy bikini when I didn’t get reconstructive surgery.”
By 2014, Daye earned first place at a national bodybuilding tournament, winning a International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Pro Card, a title needed in order to professionally compete and win money in bodybuilding competitions.
Since then Daye said she has volunteered her time at the Casa de Las Amigas in Pasadena, a residential treatment program for women trying to fight addiction. She said she conducts a morning workout with residents and also educates them on a myriad of topics like nutrition, fitness and living a positive body lifestyle.
She also teaches and helps train men at Simple Recovery, a drug addiction treatment center.
“The guys aren’t as sensitive as women, but when I’m their coach and we’re at the gym they are exposed,” she said. “Sometimes I have men say they only want to work on their chest, but I remind them that it’s important to work out the body as a whole.”
Daye said her next goal is to bring back her organization, Walk for Love, that raises money for various nonprofits such as Building Bridges within the city.
“I don’t know a thing about being a philanthropist, but I created Walk for Love to create a ripple effect and share love within the community,” she said.
Courtesy of: Press Telegram