From burn victim to beauty contestant

 

Colorado - Danette Haag was badly burned in a household gas explosion when she was 10 years old. In the first 24 hours of the explosion, she was not expected to live, she was in a coma and her family were encouraged to come and say goodbye to her. However, after an immensely physical and emotional battle, she survived.

“Going through it all and surviving this was really my first battle. Lots of pain, tons and tons of surgeries, physiotherapy, compression garments, face masks, all that I had to wear for years, years and years, and just face the world that had it. look different covered in scars. It wasn't just a physical battle, but it also became an emotional battle. "

She remembered that as a child she was watching the Miss America pageant for the first time and thought it would never happen to her, but over 30 years later she found the strength and courage to take the stage at a beauty pageant in Colorado.

She explains how she came to accept herself. “I see my scars as a gift because they have taught me so much about growing our true beauty, delving into our souls and developing our character. My scars are a symbol of where I have been. been, but they certainly aren't. dictate where I go. "

And what does she think her young self would have thought she achieved that goal?

"This little girl was very shy. And I think she would be very proud, maybe a little shocked, but definitely there to celebrate with me. I think we all tend to focus on what we can't. do instead of what we can Whether it's just healing after a scar in life or fulfilling some kind of dream that has always been inside of you is something we all have in common. hope I can encourage so many people to follow their dreams, no matter how old you are or how badly you think this dream can be shattered. "