The past few weeks have been a lot. After being crowned Mrs. United USA, my uncle passed away unexpectedly and our whole family rushed to say our goodbyes. Balancing being the national title holder and this loss has been an adventure. From doing newspaper interviews on the phone on the way home from the hospital to say goodbye, to attending a funeral with 2 events pending. I appreciate everyone for the love and support during this time. My uncle was the pillar of our family and we took on a huge loss. However, I am extremely thankful I was given the chance to hold his hand, hug his children and wife as they waited his departure from this world.
Saturday I had a whirlwind of balancing pageant duties and loss. I went from driving 2 hours to a funeral (and back), to a parade (Sparks Parade), to attending as a visiting queen for the Miss Indiana Pageant; while supporting my pageant clients within my business. Transparency I haven’t slept in weeks and each day I focus on what is important.
Fast forward two days to today… July 1st. Today my mom started the 1st day of her second round of chemo. For those who don’t know, my mom has a rare autoimmune disorder that put her on life support 2 years ago. No one said she would survive, but after months she woke up, and today is still fighting. My mom is the definition of a warrior. The start of my reign has been a whirlwind as I said, but I’m thankful for every moment. 💪🏼 I’m your Mrs. United USA 2024, and I promise to lead this reign with transparency and compassion. 🫶🏼
