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Okay so, woah, this has been a year! And that’s to put it lightly. As I begin to reflect on my time during the Miss Saint Francis pageant this year, I would like to take it back to what happened earlier this year and why I decided to continue doing the scholarship pageant.

Many people in my personal life know why I decided to make my CSI, or community service initiative, about eating disorders and writing this out now is sincerely making me tear up. I’ve struggled with anorexia for the past five years. It’s been an endless battle of wanting to recover but feeling like I’m unable to because of the thoughts in my head that just won’t go away.

Last year, after I won a “battle” against it, I was starting to recover from anorexia; however, my life took an unexpected turn and I ended up relapsing for about the fifth time. And I am very lucky to have people in my life who noticed it and made sure I opened up. It broke my heart. And what was worse was going to the doctors and seeing the food charts, meal plans, but what made this trip different was hearing my heart rate. I could’ve been hospitalized since it had been lower than 50.

Now, I had no idea what I was going to be able to do but I had help from my family and friends to get through it once again because they’ve never once made me go through a battle alone. I’ve had a good support system for the past five or so years - even though I didn’t get properly diagnosed or help until my sophomore year.

I did the pageant last year and it was truthfully a life changing experience. Being able to perform and talk about my story and what it means to me was the best feeling and knowing I could make a difference in someone’s life was a blessing. Which is the reason I did it again this year. Knowing I’m not the healthiest; however, being able to go up on stage and admit it, but be proud of my recovery efforts, meant the world to me.

Though I am still in recovery, I would just like to say that if you’re struggling with anorexia, it’s not a fight you can’t win. It’s a long and bumpy road, but going down it is the best fight I’ve ever loved myself enough to do.

Nehemiah 8:10 ❤️

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Wow! 2025 has been a great year and I am so happy that I was able to accomplish so much! Project Zebra is something I have been working on for a few years now and getting to see all I have accomplished in just a year with it is so amazing! Thank you to my community for allowing me to advocate for rare disease awareness🦓

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My community service initiative, Project Zebra started as a way to honor my dad who had passed from a rare type of cancer. It helps me person to find some support and people who understand rare diseases and how they affect people.

Today, I advocate not just for my father and his death, but now myself. I recently found out that I have a rare disease called Ehler’s Danlos, which means I am hyper mobile, have a sensitive stomach and sensitive skin. Although there is no cure, I am strong and capable of living with this. This isn’t a deadly disease but not all rare disease patients are that lucky. My dad wasn’t as his rare disease took his life.

I will continue advocating for rare disease awareness for my dad, for myself, and for all those who are affected!

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I want to send a huge thank you to my dear friend, Ella for inviting me to Rally around today which is a walk and event made possible through Wisconsin Children’s Hospital. They currently are treating my friend for multiple rare diseases and she reached out to me to be involved in the advocacy today! Thank you Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin for what you do and for putting on this amazing event!

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Kicking off the interviews, today’s special guest shares about their story with rare diseases and how it has shaped their life! I’m very excited to continue this series and hear more stories.

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I want to extend a huge thank you to Gavin Proffitt from the health department of Senator Johnson’s office for hearing my story. Thanks to Rare Across America, I was able to attend this meeting and share my story as well as advocate for policymaking of rare diseases. Thank you Gavin for your belief in our proposal and your promise to speak to the Senator about our message!

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Everyone’s story deserves to be heard!

I am starting something new where I will interview those who have been affected by a rare disease whether it is suffering from one themselves or having a loved one that has had one.

If you are interested in sharing a story, being a part of my short series, or learning more info on it, please feel free to message me!

Share your story! Let’s all be aware for rare!

Photo creds: @artemiophoto

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At the beginning of May I set up boxes around my high school and asked people to donate toys so I could bring those toys to Children’s Hospital! I am hoping that it brings a smile to the children’s faces! I know when dealing with a disease, especially a rare one, it can be very scary, but can be extremely terrifying at a young age. Today I dropped off those toys! Thank you to everyone who donated and thank you to the staff at my school for helping me set it up! It was a huge success and will hopefully ease the stress of a child going through treatment.

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Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to speak about my community service initiative at the Mitchell Library! I talked about my experience with rare disease and what I have done with Project Zebra so far! Afterwards, I handed out bracelets that say Project Zebra, Aware for Rare on them!

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Today is National Rare Disease Day! My community service initiative is titled Project Zebra and is dedicated towards rare disease awareness and fundraising

Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of loss in my life from rare diseases, but so many others have been affected as well! Today, we celebrate the diseases that are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed for many years! We celebrate the diseases that go unnoticed and the patients that feel unheard because people don’t know anything about their illness.

Today is the day we recognize that if you hear hooves, you should look for the horses AND the zebras. We must always be aware for rare!

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Last night's brushstrokes created more than just art—they painted hope for those battling gallbladder & bile duct cancer. 💚 Our February Paint & Sip highlighted these rare but devastating cancers, represented by the kelly green ribbon you see in our creations.

Special thanks to @thezebraproject100 for joining our creative community as we raised our glasses and our awareness! A portion of every ticket goes directly to research and support for those affected.

Rare cancers deserve our attention, too. When we shine light on the shadows, we bring hope to those fighting in the dark.

Mark your calendars for March's Paint & Sip, March 19th! New month, new cancer focus, same beautiful mission. Let's continue creating art that matters. Drop a 💚 if you'll be joining us next month!

#CancerAwareness #RareCancersMatter #PaintForPurpose #ProjectZebra

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