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An Online Achievement Pageant Honoring the Full Figured Woman
Sizes 10+ for
55 and under. Sizes 12+ for 56 and over
Mrs. North Carolina 2007-2008
Patsy Mintz
From the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, I
am Patsy Mintz a vibrant young 39 year old.
Since 2005, I have held the position of Office Manager at
Mountain Environmental Services, an environmental consulting company. I love my
job and enjoy learning something new every day pertaining to protecting and
restoring our environment.
I enjoy spending my time away from work camping,
clogging, riding my Harley motorcycle alongside my husband, spending time with
my grandchildren and just simply enjoying a warm summer day. I also receive
great satisfaction from using my time and talents to help with fund-raising
activities for a variety of charitable organizations. I have walked for the
annual March of Dimes in which my team was awarded 2nd place in our community
for the total funds collected. I solicited pledges and participated in the Big
Brothers/Big Sisters Bowling for Kids fund raising event. I have been a
bell-ringer for the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle fund raiser. I have also used my love of motorcycle riding
for the benefit of my community by participating in numerous charity
fund-raisers. I have consistently participated in the annual United Way fund
raising effort through my payroll deductions for that charity.
During my high school years, I was involved in track,
basketball, softball, and cheerleading, but a serious ankle injury forced me to
re-direct my energy to other activities. I participated in the high school
chorus and was a member of the Tuscola High School Girls Ensemble. This was an
exceptionally fine musical group. In 1987 we traveled to Orlando, Florida to
participate in the Invitational Music Festival and at that competition we were
awarded first place and the Grand Finale trophy. During my senior year of high
school I worked as a performer at the famous Ghost Town in the Sky amusement
park located in Maggie Valley, NC. This gave me a lot of performing experience
and further developed the confidence that enabled me to perform for very large
audiences. After graduation from high school with honors in Future Homemakers
of America I married my childhood sweetheart, took a management position with a
national food service company, and enrolled in a local community college as an
Early Childhood Development major. While I was juggling the responsibilities of
work, marriage, and school, I became pregnant, but that ended in a miscarriage.
I was emotionally devastated and dropped out of school, concentrated on work
and keeping my marriage going. This was the beginning of a period of about 10
years struggling to cope with an increasingly abusive and frequently
intoxicated husband. Eventually we had to part ways as he continued to
self-destruct. In 1995 I was diagnosed with cancer, but it was caught early and
I have been cured. After that I began to suffer with mysterious rashes, extreme
sensitivity to sunlight, and severe fatigue. After two years of being
misdiagnosed by eight doctors, I finally received a correct diagnosis and
learned that I had something called Lupus. I called my mother and asked, What
is this terrible thing? It was then, over the phone I learned from my mother
that I had an incurable disease My heart sank!! But then I decided, just like when I had
cancer that I was not going to lay down and die, or stay at home, feel sorry
for myself and give-in to the disease. I determined that I would do everything
in my power to lead a normal and fulfilling life. Now, my life is good, I am
remarried and this year I will celebrate my eighth wedding anniversary with my
second husband. He is truly my godsend, the light of my life and my best
friend. I have a wonderful stepson who has provided me with two angels from
heaven, my grandchildren, Madison, 6 and Cameron, 11.
As Mrs. North Carolina Classic Beauty, my platform is to
try to raise awareness of the disease, Lupus, and to encourage people to
overcome adversity and disappointments that may come into their lives. I have
experienced first-hand the power of living in the present and not succumbing to
fear or self-pity. The serenity prayer, attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, is the
basis of my everyday living. (Also adopted by the Lupus
Foundation of America.)
God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot
change
Courage to change the things I can and the
Wisdom to know the difference.
Amen
