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Miss Iowa 2012 and Tourette Syndrome

Hey all! I’m Miss Iowa 2012 and I have Tourette Syndrome too! I was honored to be contacted to blog with all of you and share my struggles and advice, so hope it helps :)

When I was 8 years old, I was diagnosed with TS, and this was not something I have spoken about my entire life. Because I was so ashamed of myself and struggled with self-esteem issues and bullying for so long, this was not a subject I was comfortable with.

However, as I got older, I was so inspired by the Miss America organization that I took a huge leap and refused to hide myself anymore. TS is now something I have shared with thousands of people. TS hasbeen a part of my life for more than 12 years, and it’s an struggle I can relate to 100 percent.

The best part about it is that it not only allows me reach out to children with TS, but also children who are facing an adversity in any way — and at some point in our lives, we all face challenges.

Growing up with TS certainly can make you stand out a little more than others. I know how it feels to have teachers tell me “stop doing that!” or have your peers laugh and make fun of you because you cant stop “ticcing.”

The best piece of advice I have ever been given was to accept myself. I learned very quickly that once I embrace myself and everything I embody, then others will begin to do the same.

This is just a small part of everything I have to say, so I will continue to contribute blog posts, and thank you all for providing so much insight into TS! Feel free to ask any questions you may have! My e-mail is missiowa2012@missiowa.com.

Together, we can :)

— Miss Iowa 2012, Mariah Cary

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5 Comments

  1. Wow, my dear, you are one beautiful young woman. I hope your charm, charisma and experience with TS will help you give one rippa of a presentation when you do the pageant! Good luck to ya and good on ya! We’ll be following your progress from Australia. Keep us posted!

  2. Hi Mariah. You are very pretty. I think it’s good for the world to see you in your position because I think one of the stigmas of Tourette is that everyone thinks those with it are ugly and weird. You aren’t either of those things. :) <3

  3. omgggg! this is so cool! mariah i had never heard of u before because ur from iowa but after reading this i googled u and ur just awesome. u r so pretty!!!! what do u say to people when they want to talk to u about ur tourettte?

    • Ahhhh!! Thank you so much Sabrina! I really appreciate your sweet comments :) People are very inspired when I share my story. Most people think that my TS would hold me back from most of the things I do, but no way :) Everyone always wants to know more about this complex syndrome

      • awesome! so what do u usually tell them? i would love to hear ur story of diagnosis and how uve gotten as far as u have! so inspiring!

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