Imaginary? Maybe. Inspiring? Definitely!

By now you’ve probably already heard the story of the football player and the tragic death of his imaginary girlfriend.



The death of Notre Dame football star Manti Te’o’s beautiful, brave girlfriend Lennay Kekau – widely reported by Sports Illustrated, CBS and many other media outlets — turned out to be an elaborate hoax.



What hasn’t been reported has been the made-up young lady’s remarkable battle with obesity.



The weight started climbing up when she started at her fictional college. She gained the freshman 15, as many so often do, but followed that up with the less-publicized sophomore sixty. Her self-esteem was nonexistent.



And then one day as she was talking to her imaginary roommate Tiffany, she had an epiphany.



Maybe this is all in my mind, she thought. Maybe changing the way I view food and exercise will change things for me. 



Six months later, she had lost nearly 100 pounds simply by making good choices and exercising each day. It was almost too much to believe.



We should be sad that this young imaginary girl is gone now, but we should also take a moment to recognize and celebrate the success she enjoyed during her too brief made-up life.