Miss Oklahoma Talks about her Lupus Pain and Pageantry Politics

July 1, 2010 - PRLog -- You’d assume life would return to normal straight after a beauty pageant.  For Morgan Woolard this wasn’t exactly an option after the recent Miss USA Pageant.

When it emerged newly-crowned Miss USA, Rima Fakih, had appeared in some controversial photos depicting her pole dancing, it was assumed Woolard would be taking the title as a result.  

Even more controversial was the answer Woolard gave to a question regarding illegal immigration.  Actor Oscar Nunez asked for her opinion regarding a controversial new Arizona law.  If Nunez wasn’t going to get through his question without getting booed, what chance did Woolard have of pleasing everyone with her answer?
 
Another matter that didn’t go unnoticed was Woolard’s statement during the pageant about her experience with lupus.  In a particular clip, Woolard effectively mentioned she’d been cured of lupus and it was miraculous.

Put simply, lupus is a complicated, terrible disease where the immune system attacks its own tissues.  There are different types of lupus.  SLE Lupus is the most common and the most devastating.  Along with cutaneous lupus, it is well known there is no cure for these two forms of the condition.  Then there is drug induced lupus, where the symptoms generally disappear after quitting the offending medicine.

Within moments of Woolard making her statement, people from all over the world were starting to demand answers.  Surely she had drug induced lupus, and if so, why didn’t she clarify that fact?

In the July issue The Lupus Magazine, Morgan Woolard talks candidly about the politics of pageantry.

"I never wanted to be used for anyone's political agenda.  I'm an independent free thinking American, who just so happened to believe in State's rights.  I've done my best to deter any more controversy.  A lot of the media has tried to get me to victimize myself, or claim my question is why I lost and make me sound bitter, but I refuse to let that happen.”

And she also discusses her painful experience with lupus.

“I would bathe ten times a day just to keep my joints warm for a few minutes.  But then I couldn’t get out of the bathtub on my own because I couldn’t press down on my wrists.  Going from this super independent young girl, to being dependent on my mother for everything was truly horrifying.”

Woolard also retracts het statement about SLE lupus being curable.

"I am well aware that SLE lupus is incurable...  hopefully this interview will set the record straight.”

To read the full interview with Morgan Woolard, visit The Lupus Magazine – your free online lupus magazine and newspaper - http://www.thelupusmagazine.com/

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Published monthly, The Lupus Magazine has been established as we search worldwide for a cure for lupus. It's a place where you can enjoy the latest lupus news and articles from around the world.