Welcome to MyCompanionBox: Sarah's Story
I'm going to tell you a story about the worst timing in the world, friendship, and how both of those things led to MyCompanionBox.
The Flood, The Appointment, and The Letdown
I waited nine months to see a specialist in Boston who focuses on obesity genetics. Nine. Months. I was so paranoid about being late for an 8am appointment in Boston that I booked a hotel room the night before—because fighting through 90+ minutes of morning traffic wasn't a risk I was willing to take.
Then the universe gave me a little smack.
The night before my appointment, my co-working space flooded. And I don't mean a little leak. I mean water pouring through the windows, shooting up through a crack in the basement floor, biblical-level insanity. I had to cancel my hotel room. I spent until 3am with a shop vac, sucking up water, rescuing equipment, trying not to cry.
At 3am, I went home. Showered. Left my house at 5am anyway because I was NOT missing this appointment.
Let's just say my blood pressure was a bit elevated that morning.
After all that? The appointment was maybe 20 minutes. The Dr. told me my options: shots or surgery. That was it. No deep dive into my genetics. No root cause exploration. Just: here are your two choices.
She was studying people with my genetics who'd had traumatic head injuries and gained 100 pounds within a year. I hadn't had a head injury, but I had gained 100 pounds in a year—right after catching a bacterial infection doing Hurricane Katrina relief in New Orleans. Two weeks of IV antibiotics, two months of oral meds, and suddenly my body wasn't mine anymore.
In my late 20s, I found OptiFast and lost it all. But if you know anything about OptiFast, you know it's an 800-calorie-a-day liquid diet. Of course you're going to lose weight. And of course it all came back. I tried OptiFast again. And again. Nothing worked the same way.
So there I was, post-flood, post-disappointing-appointment, not thrilled about shots or surgery, feeling pretty defeated.
Enter: Dr. Allison (Not a Real Doctor, But Maybe in Another Life)
The next day, I was at the office telling my friend Allison about the whole mess. Allison was already on a GLP-1 when we met, and when I finished my story, she kicked into what I now lovingly call "Dr. Allison mode."
She gave me the full download. The ins and outs of GLP-1s. Why I should say yes to my doctor's suggestion. Why I should choose Mounjaro over Ozempic. (This was before Wegovy or Zepbound even existed, by the way.)
Insurance wasn't going to cover it anyway, so I was looking at private pay. But Allison made it make sense.
I called the real Dr back, I started the shots.
My Companion Through the Journey
For the past 2+ years, Allison has literally been my companion through this whole thing. While I've been losing, she's been maintaining. Together, we've shared:
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Tips and tricks
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Support and gripes
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Complaints and victories
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Shopping recommendations
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Saggy neck skin woes (oh yes, we're going there)
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Everything in between
She's been there for all of it. As of today, in December of 2025 - I've lost over 100 pounds!
The Whiteboard Moment
Summer 2025. Both of us at career crossroads with the opportunity to do something new.
The idea of a GLP-1 discovery box had been kicking around in my head for a while. One day, Allison came into the office and said, "What about a box?"
I grabbed a marker. Wrote out the whole plan on the whiteboard.
And here we are, a few months later, getting ready to launch.
I'm so grateful for Allison's friendship. For her being my buddy in this journey when I felt lost and overwhelmed. For her saying "yes, do this" when I wasn't sure. For every conversation, every product recommendation, every "oh my god, me too" moment.
MyCompanionBox exists because I had a companion. And now? I can't wait to be that for others.
If you're navigating this journey—whether you're just starting, deep in the thick of it, or maintaining your progress—you deserve support. You deserve products that actually help. You deserve a companion who gets it.
Here we go. Welcome to MyCompanionBox.
— Sarah
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