"Her strong faith and support of family and friends gave her the strength to fight with great courage until the end. "
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." - Philippians 4: 11-12
Before I traveled to Birmingham ,
Alabama , to judge the 2014 Miss
Plus Alabama Pageant in April 2014, I received a private message on my Mrs.
Mississippi International 2014 Facebook page from a dear woman, Sherri, who I now
consider my friend. Sherri wears many hats in the Miss Plus America Pageant
System in Alabama and Georgia , and
now on the National level. She messaged me to let me know how excited she was
that we were going to have the chance to meet when I judged in Alabama because we had a
true connection before we ever met in person: Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain.
Sherri wrote: "As I read your info and saw the platform "Angie's Quest," I was thrilled. My best friend's daughter is dying of the complications of severe Crohn's Disease. She is only 20. Anyway, they have set up a foundation in her honor, supporting and bringing awareness to those with "Silent and Invisible Illnesses." Alex looks gorgeous on the outside but only has 4 feet of intestines left and there is nothing else they can do. She is currently at the Hospice Hospital. I just wanted to make a connection and personally invite you to join our Facebook group, Beautiful Beyond the Pain. I think that it would be an awesome fit for both of you and maybe we can learn and support each other in the journey that God has blessed us with. I can't wait to meet you."
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Beautiful Alexandria |
Alex made it out of the Hospice Hospital
while I was judging and Sherri was working for the Miss Plus Alabama America
Pageant. Although she lived in excruciating pain, she continued to fight for
those living with Invisible Chronic Illness. Her mother, Lorri, was even
able to compete in a pageant that April 2014. Alex carried on with her work on
her Facebook page and Foundation- both titled “Beautiful Beyond
the Pain.” She was determined to help others like herself- like me- to gain our
permanent, recognized standing among the medical community and the world, at
large.
Not long after, the foreboding pain of Alex’s illness
overtook her again. Part of living with her debilitating Crohn’s Disease meant
that most often Alex had difficulty breathing. Rather than bring hospice into
her home, Alex asked her parents to take her to the hospital. Although she
questioned her own request, Alex was not sure that God was calling her home just
yet. Once in the hospital, Alex’s body quickly deteriorated, and specialists of
all kinds determined to place her on a respirator, even though Alex had a
legal DNR. The doctor’s told her parents that her breathing troubles this time
were most likely caused from pneumonia-thus, the respirator. Once on the
respirator, the DNR was no longer effective. For several weeks, Alex’s
parents, family members, and friends fought the medical system to allow the DNR
to go into effect; they prayed, cried, and loved Alex. And even though, Alex
regained consciousness for a short time, her fragile body could no longer fight
the physical distress that she was in; Alex left the hospital only to have to go to a hospice facility. Alex passed away on May 14, 2014 at Peachtree Christian Hospice facility in Duluth, GA.
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Alex and her mother Lorri-silly through the pain |
As you read my story about Alex, perhaps, you can understand
why those like me, who live with Silent, Invisible Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness[es] every day
of our lives fight so hard to help doctors, those who have their health, and
the general population to understand what it is truly like to live with pain
every waking moment of your life.
For Alex and for the Chronic Illness Community still
standing strong even in their pain, I will speak to anyone who will listen to me about the importance of
“Bringing a Voice to the Silent World of Chronic Illness.” I will help others
learn to “Cope with Chronic Pain” in whatever way they need me to help them. I
will strive to live “Chronically Content” and stand in the gap for those whose
bodies are too weak to stand for themselves. I have been where they have been.
I thank God [not often enough] for bringing much welcomed wellness to my body.
I can exercise now. I can drive. I can swim. I am not dependent on my husband or my daughters to be my caretakers. I can compete in the 2014 Mrs.
International Pageant. Wow, that is so humbling and awe-inspiring to me at this
stage in my Chronic Illness journey. I am stronger than I have been in many years. Yet, never doubt that I have days when my pain is tremendously debilitating. I am learning to fight through my pain and continue my tasks-whatever they may be.
Believe me when I say that I do not take my physical
fortitude or my emotional and mental resolve for granted. As long as there is
breath is my body, it is “Angie’s Quest,” just like it was Alex’s to love, to
care for, and to be an encouraging beacon, a symbol of hope for those living
with Invisible and Visible Chronic Illnesses.
—Chronically Content
—Philippians 4:11-12
Angie Russell Irvin
Mrs. Mississippi
International 2014
For more information on Crohn's Disease see the Mayo Clinic's website link below:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/crohns-disease/basics/symptoms/con-20032061
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I had the honor of knowing Alex and her family, and photographed her back in November of last year... Beautiful tribute, she was an amazing person, and I look forward to Beautiful Beyond the Pain to grow!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story <3
ReplyDelete