On Saturday, May 1, I attended the Central Massachusetts Heart Walk with Brooke Bibeault, Miss Massachusetts Teen USA. The Heart Walk is part of the American Heart Association, which also runs the Go Red for Women Campaign, the platform of the Mrs. International System. I was excited to once again see Lisa Einstein, the Director of Marketing for the Massachusetts Heart Association affiliate. Brooke and I were not expected to walk, just to mix and mingle with the crowd, cheer them on at the start line, and then welcome them back at the finish line. However, we decided that we would walk, at least the mile, well, while walking, we kept on going with crowd, chatting with walkers, and ultimately completed the six mile walk, all while wearing our flip flops. Along the route, we were asked to have our picture taken with a little boy named Matthew who is 9 years old with Severe Pulmonary Stenosis and an Atrial Septal Defect. We come across his picture during the closing ceremon on the "We Are Special Board", and we where honored that his family had asked us to be a part of his walk and to be photgraphed with him! It was an amazing day, and very inspiring to be part of a walk with so many people who are survivors with heart related issues, and making a difference to spread the word about the importance of Heart Health! This walk and the American Heart Association is making a difference for children like Matthew and so many others!
On May 2 I had the honor of being a part of the May Day, Polish Constitution Day! This was such an incredible honor to me as my mother who I represent throughout my year of reign as Mrs. Massachusetts was born in Poland, and this was a beautiful tribute to the country that she came from. I got this honor through a beautiful Breast Cancer Survivor that I met through the Lowell General Hospital TeamWalk for Cancer Care, Beverly Seibert. She is a member of Lowell's Dom Polski and mentioned to the committee that she had met Mrs. Massachusetts whose mother was from Poland. The most wonderful part of this ceremony was that my father and I were asked to raise the Polish Flag on the steps of Lowell's City Hall. My family and I were welcomed into the Dom Polski Club with an Honorary Membership. As I stood on the steps of City Hall and spoke about what being Polish meant to me and how my mother originally came from Poland, I couldn't help to think how proud she must have been that I was bringing recognition to her native Poland in my community, and also introducing my daughter Sierra to our Polish Heritage as well. I thank everyone for the opportunity and for making this a very special moment during my year as Mrs. Massachusetts, and it truly shows that you never know what doors and opportunities may present themselves to you at any given moment.
