Lindsey Robinson, picture, is a top-ten finalist for Amp Radio's "Breast Summer Ever" contest.

CHESTERMERE– After being diagnosed with high cholesterol last year, Lindsey Robinson committed to eating healthy and exercising regularly.
It worked. She successfully slimmed down and lowered her cholesterol in the process.
Unfortunately for the naturally well-endowed mother of three young children, losing the weight came with some unintended results.
“After nursing three babies and losing 65 pounds… things are not where they should be,” she said.
Robinson said her large breasts have caused her various problems since she was 18 years old. She’s had back troubles, difficulty finding properly fitting clothing and been forced to pay over $150 for size-J bras.
Her self-esteem has suffered as a result, she said.
“I’ve been on the bigger breast scale my whole life,” Robinson said. “I just want to be average.
“It’s hard. I just want to fit in.”
Last month, she was listening to top-40 station Amp Radio while driving her daughter to school when a radio advertisement for the station’s “Breast Summer Ever” contest came across the airwaves. After hearing the winner would receive a $10,000 breast augmentation, Robinson said she immediately wanted to apply.
Fast-forwarding to last week, Robinson was just getting home from her kids’ swimming lessons when she received a call from Amp Radio saying she’d be selected to the contest’s top ten.
“I didn’t even hear the rest of the message,” she said. “I seriously screamed like I had won the lottery.”
The radio station received over 600 other applications for the contest, and the top-ten finalists were officially announced last Thursday at Desperados Nightclub in Calgary.
The ten finalists’ reasons for applying ranged from increasing confidence and wanting to be better proportioned to more critical matters. One woman said she has third-degree burns covering the right side of her right breast. Another woman said she suffered from Guillain-Barre syndrome, which led to a lack of breast development.
One of the finalists is biologically male, but said he is mentally female and looking for a correction in his sexuality.
There has been a well-documented public backlash since the contest was first announced. Robinson said her friends and family have been very understanding and supportive, but the controversy will likely continue.
“I’m sure people are going to be outraged all over again, but I think it will bring it down to a more human level,” she said. “You put a face to this contest and it’s not what people thought it was going to be.”
Feedback generally seems positive, so far. Regular Amp Radio listener Courtney Cunningham said she supports the contest because it gives women the chance to have a procedure they may not get otherwise.
“My mother has had breast cancer in the past and I have felt the effects firsthand of what losing a breast can have upon a woman,” she said. “I think this is a great opportunity to boost a woman’s self-esteem.
“I just hope a deserving woman wins.”
She added: “There are thousands of women out there who are diagnosed and-or living without a breast because of cancer. This contest could change someone’s life.”
The results also seem mostly positive on Amp Radio’s Facebook page. Although one user, Breian Lin, commented: “Looks to me like they picked a bunch of barbie dolls, and its going to be nothing but a popularity contest, instead of going to someone who actually deserves it. Just saying.”
Still, Robinson suggests the benefit beats the consequences.
“It will be a little weird having potentially millions of people hearing your story,” she said. “I’ve been self-conscious about it my whole life, so I’ve put myself out there.
“It’s worth the risk for me.”
Visit ampradiocalgary.com to view profiles and vote on the ten finalists.