Super Mom: Rowan County woman sets sights on maternal comp

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, April 30, 2024

SALISBURY — For Adrianna London, becoming a mom was the best thing that ever happened to her. With the help of a contest through thesupermom.org, London is aiming to share that joy with others, but she needs your vote. 

The competition is organized through Colossal, which has raised more than $2.6 million through the Super Mom Competition benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 

If she is selected, London will join a long list of previous winners, receive $20,000, be featured in Women’s World Magazine, and be treated to a vacation in Palm Springs, California.

Individuals can cast a vote for London at thesupermom.org each day for free. There is also the option to buy votes. Those funds are then contributed to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

“It helps support their research and to positively impact children,” London said. “That is something amazing to me. I have been praying so much. I have seen so many children passing away from cancer and accidents that happen, to me if there is one place out there that is trying to do something better for kids, I pray for parents every day, their hearts and for children to be able to grow up and live beautiful lives.”

While the contest represents a chance to aid a Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals goal of pediatric research and juvenile medical treatment, it also presents an opportunity for London to do something that she loves — career development public speaking events. 

London was laid off from her job as a senior recruiter with Bank of America in early 2022. She began to explore other opportunities. Given her previous working experience, a light bulb went off. 

“Around that time, I came up with an idea,” London said. “Being a recruiter, I deal with candidates all the time. Some of them have poor responses or were not that well prepared for the conservation of the job they were going for. I thought to myself, how can I help people get prepared?”

She pitched a career development plan at The Refuge Church, which they accepted last year. The timing was great because she was expecting her first child, Autumn Mae, and the timeline for the course would give her several months at home to take care of the newborn. 

Courses began in January of 2024, and her first group officially graduated on Monday. 

A nurturing personality has guided London through the ups and downs of her 38 years of life. The tallest peaks have encompassed her daughter’s birth though.

“Seeing my beautiful little girl smile and laugh has made all the shots, tears and pain worth it,” London said. “I would do it all over again just to see that beautiful face and hear her giggle.”

Due to a medical condition, London had to explore alternative fertility prospects but was successful with in vitro fertilization or IVF. 

Still, at 38, the delivery was not easy. 

“I had a C-section because she was breech, but once they pulled her out, I heard my amazing husband say, ‘She looks just like me,'” London said. “I cried tears of joy because I felt like I crossed the finish line.”

Now, she is running a different race. If she does win the competition, she plans to use the money to further her career development course and conduct more public speaking events.

“If I win this money, I want to be a public speaker,” London said. “There are so many topics I could talk about. Fertility is definitely one of them. That is my challenge.”

London also wants to reward her husband, Steven, for standing by and supporting her throughout the last couple of years. 

She is also grateful for help from her sister-in-love, Anna London, and for her grandmother’s inspiration. 

“My grandmother, she passed from COVID in 2020,” London said. “She was a beacon for our family and she inspired me the most. I would not be who I am today without her.”