When you meet Sofia, it’s hard to miss the beaming smile she wears on her face. I tell her that it’s unimaginable what this warm lady has gone through and still is going through. She giggles at my comment and exclaims, “That’s why I earned myself the subsidiary title of Miss Optimistic in Miss Amazing Malaysia!”
Crowned as the first winner of Miss Amazing Malaysia, a beauty pageant for physically challenged women, Sofia’s ultimate wish is to bring psoriatic arthritis to light. “I was diagnosed with psoriasis at age 12. I didn’t know much about it at the time. I thought it was just a skin problem,” she begins. Psoriasis – a skin condition that causes rapid build-up of skin cells, leading to scaling and red itchy patches – is never a widely discussed disorder. When she turned 14, engaging in sports became a torture. “It started with just my toes. Eventually, moving my joints hurt so much, let alone doing sports. It was frustrating and devastating. I really loved taking part in sports but my chance to enjoy it was snatched away from me.” At such a young age, Sofia thought the symptoms would go away with time, like a bout of cold. And then she learnt that was not the case.
HURDLES TO OVERCOME
This story is from the January - February 2020 edition of Her World Malaysia.
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This story is from the January - February 2020 edition of Her World Malaysia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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