Vote for Cortlandt Resident to Win Reader’s Digest Contest

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Support local author Karen Cigna whose condensed life story is in the Top 100 of “Your Life… The Reader’s Digest Version” contest, posted on facebook.com/ReadersDigest

Local author Karen Cigna’s 150-word life story on a struggle with bulimia is currently a Top 100 public vote contender in the “Your Life… The Reader’s Digest Version” contest. Cigna, of Cortlandt Manor, is trending as one of the most popular submissions and has the chance to be published in an upcoming issue of Reader’s Digest magazine. If Cinga wins she will get a $25,000 prize as well.

Reader’s Digest editors will select the grand prize winner and ten runners up from the Top 100 public vote entrants. We encourage you and your readers to keep Cigna in the Top 100 by voting online at facebook.com/ReadersDigest.

Cigna's story:

“Trusting My Eyes” by Karen Cigna

In 1971 I painted my first and last self-portrait. It was the last time I was able to trust my own eyes when looking at the size of my body or the size of my home life. This resulted in a war with my body. The weapon was an eating disorder. I was so busy trying to convince myself that what I saw in my chaotic, violent home was not real. I was busy “not seeing”: holes punched through the walls, with "Home Sweet Home" slogans hung in an ironic effort to hide signs of violence; and my mother tearing up my favorite doll. I hated my mother and my father, and I did not know how to love and hate them at the same time, so I simply chose to hate myself. Until 23 years later, when I decided to love myself and my body. I decided I was no longer going to define the size of my life by the size of my body. I now have 17 years of recovery from bulimia.

The contest is all part of the Reader’s Digest continual effort to enrich and simplify Americans’ lives.  This particular project “Your Life...The Reader’s Digest Version” celebrates the launch of the new book, “Life... The Reader’s Digest Version,” which is also the first of a new series, by creating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people’s personal stories to be widely read and for the opportunity of one story to be published in Reader’s Digest to its more than 30 million readers, plus be the recipient of a major cash award. Several runner-up stories will also receive attention and cash prizes.  Stories will be voted on by consumers and winners will ultimately be selected from the Top 100 by Reader’s Digest editors.  Americans can vote for and submit 150-word stories about lessons, simple advice, funny moments and other life stories at facebook.com/ReadersDigest.

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