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Stephanie Hunt, Mrs. USA, stopped by 186th Street School on Friday after school to surprise the principal and the students.  She is the cousin of Althea Sidney, Mrs. Reed's sister-n-law. Mrs. Sidney is Title I Coordinator at Ambler Avenue.  Mrs. Hunt flew in from Michigan for a speaking engagement in Los Angeles and she visited Ambler and 186th Street.  The children on the afterschool playground were so excited and happy to see this beautiful young lady.  One child ran to greet her friends and said, "Come see the pretty, pretty princess!"  She signed autographs, answered all of the students' questions, and encouraged the students to go for their goals and dreams.  It was a pleasant surprise.

Please read the article below and learn about this amazing woman.

Submitted respectfully by, Mrs. Reed
 

Crown & crusade

Mrs. United States raises awareness of rare disorders

October 6, 2007

BY PATRICIA MONTEMURRI

 

Stephanie Hunt's license plate introduces her: MRSUS07. That's short for Mrs. United States 2007, a title she won in July that gave her a tiara, a scepter and a platform to bring attention to the little-understood condition that afflicts her 4-year-old son, Donnie Hunt.

When she was a teenager and college student, Stephanie entered pageants to win scholarship money. She entered this competition for different reasons. Over the years, the Northwest Airlines flight attendant gained 100 pounds.  When her youngest son was born, she and husband Don Hunt learned he had an extremely rare condition known as Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome, which impairs Donnie's ability to talk, learn and grow.

Stephanie, 43, of Pittsfield Township has another son and two stepsons. She aimed for the title to get herself in fighting shape, the better to give voice to Donnie and millions of other Americans with rare, under-researched afflictions.

 

What is Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome: It affects about 1,000 people worldwide. It impairs cognitive development, and children may not learn to speak. Physically, it's marked by very broad thumbs and first toes, and hair that grows down far on the forehead. Their physical stature may be stunted during puberty. Children also suffer digestive maladies. One of the doctors who first documented the syndrome, Dr. Jack Rubinstein, in Cincinnati, was able to consult with the Hunts before he died.

 

What's promising in treating the disorder: Stephanie spoke last week at the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) conference, which is working to bring attention and funding to so-called orphan diseases. Because a rare disorder afflicts so few people, there isn't an incentive for pharmacy and biotech companies to focus on these diseases. Among Rubinstein-Taybi families, there's a drive to fund research at Harvard. Drugs under development for Alzheimer's disease also might help.

 

How it motivated her to enter a pageant: When a pageant promoter called a few years ago, Stephanie told her: "I'm overweight. I'm not in that mode. I have a child who has a rare disorder." The promoter told her that was exactly the reason she had to do it. "The competition gives the winner a platform to speak out."

 

How it affects her son Donnie: Affectionate and outgoing, Donnie communicates verbally, but not with words yet. He goes to preschool every day.

 

How she got ready to compete: Over three years, she slowly lost the weight. She consulted with a pageant coach in North Carolina, to whom she'd e-mail photos of her changing body. She credits running and healthy eating. "Due to the celebration time, I've gained some back. But it won't be there for long," says Stephanie.

 

What she told the judges: "I told them this would be a crown with a mission. It means that I'll be given this opportunity to speak on behalf of 25 million Americans with rare disorders."

 

The competition: She had to wear a bathing suit and an evening gown. Among the competitors were a doctor, a lawyer and a TV reporter. "It's just all these beautiful women," Stephanie says. "You get so intimidated going in there."

 

What she won: A vacation in Barbados and a professional portrait. She also gets to see a taping of the ABC soap "All My Children." She earns fees for professional appearances.

 

Her goals: She'd like to be on "Sesame Street," because Donnie digs Elmo. She'd like to throw a first pitch at a baseball game. She'd like to be on "Oprah." And she's working on a book about "the journey we went through." Says Stephanie: "It's not all doom and gloom. You just have to get in and do what you do, and be the best for your child."