Jessy MacNair was a pageant enthusiast at an early age. Her mother made custom pageant gowns and young women were frequent visitors in their Johnston County home for dress fittings. Sometimes, Jessy and her mom traveled with contestants to help with backstage alterations.
But when it came to competing, Jessy says, “I didn’t have the confidence to do a pageant at that point in my life because I had a fear of failure, and to me a pageant was a great opportunity to find out that you weren’t the best.”
Fast forward a decade and you would never know that Jessy had once felt even the slightest bit unsure of herself. She graduated from Salem College and was living in Apex, building a resume that showcased her social nature and innate ability to connect with people. She was also married and raising two children. “At the beginning of 2017, I was transitioning out of a career to focus on raising my children and I needed something new and empowering for me,” Jessy says.
The Mrs. North Carolina International Pageant
That’s when the North Carolina director for the International Pageant System approached Jessy about competing. The International Pageant System recognizes women in the Teen, Miss, and Mrs. categories for their accomplishments, families, marriages, and commitment to a cause. Mrs. International participants are held to high moral standards and receive a score based on evening gown and fitness wear contests (50%) and an interview (50%). Husbands escort their wives in the evening gown competition and crown them titleholders.
As Jessy explains, “In the International Pageant System, the focus is on fitness and taking care of your body, whatever that looks like for you and your body type. There are lots of women representing different stages of life who engage in fitness in different ways. You don’t see a lot of pin-skinny perfect bodies. The system celebrates that and promotes a healthy life.”
Unlike in other pageant organizations, contestants apply to compete in the International Pageant System. In the spring of 2017, Jessy was awarded the title of Mrs. Apex International 2018.
On April 7 in Winterville, NC, she’ll be a contestant for the title of Mrs. North Carolina International in hopes of going on to compete at an international level with titleholders from the United States and other countries.
An Unexpected Change in Direction
Jessy planned to use mentorship as her platform, the cause to which she would dedicate herself before, during, and after the April 2018 pageant. But an annual physical in May 2017 changed that.
“In 2008, after graduating from college, I tested positive for HPV [human papillomavirus] and found out I had abnormal cells on my cervix. I’d never been to a gynecologist before. I didn’t know what HPV was. And I didn’t know why abnormal cells on my cervix mattered. That kicked off ten years of Pap tests, sometimes two or three times a year, along with regular biopsies and colposcopy procedures to closely examine the cervical tissue. There were always low-grade or mid-grade abnormal changes.”
According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, “The traditional test for early detection [of cervical cancer] has been the Pap test. For women age 30 and over, an HPV test may be used along with a Pap. HPV tests can find any of the high-risk types of HPV that are commonly found in cervical cancer. Women should start with a Pap test at age 21 and should be co-tested with a Pap and an HPV test starting at age 30. If there are no problems, Pap tests can be done every three years and co-testing with a Pap and HPV test every five years.”
Despite cell abnormalities in her early twenties, her Pap and HPV test results were clear and normal in her late twenties when she was having her children, and even as recently as 2016. She hoped to prolong the time between visits to her gynecologist, but knowing Jessy’s history, her doctor had her back in 2017—just to be on the safe side.
“My doctor called me two days [after my appointment] to tell me that I had developed high-grade pre-cancerous cells on my cervix. I’ll forever be grateful that she trusted her instincts when the ‘books’ told her I didn’t need that Pap.”
Jessy’s gynecologist scheduled her for a LEEP—Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure—which uses an electrical wire loop to remove the layer of abnormal cells from the cervix and cauterize the margin. In the midst of the procedure, it was clear to Jessy that her pageant platform had to be cervical cancer awareness and prevention, even though it meant sharing personal and intimate details about her own story.
“Too many women have an abnormal cell report and get scared about a cancer diagnosis, so they never go back to their doctor. That’s gut-wrenching to me. Cervical cancer is preventable. I’m hoping that through my openness and vulnerability, people will say, ‘If she can talk about it publicly, I can go to my doctor privately and address this.’”
“Talk Teal: Spotlighting Cervical Cancer Worldwide”
Jessy hit the ground running with her “Talk Teal” pageant platform, named for the awareness ribbon color representing gynecological cancers. “As contestants,” she explains, “our platforms don’t just affect the towns we live in. They have to serve the world. Cervical cancer is a fluctuating issue. We have screenings here in the U.S., but women die in other countries because screenings are expensive.”
“I want to help people feel comfortable discussing cervical cancer and make it so that more women are willing to get their exams. Men can talk to their daughters, a husband can encourage his wife, or a brother can talk to his girlfriend about how women can take care of themselves.”
To get people talking, Jessy is partnering with two other organizations: Cervivor and Cure Cervical Cancer.
Cervivor has an ambassador program that provides advocacy training for women diagnosed with cervical cancer and teaches survivors how to use their experience to help other women. One of Cervivor’s focal areas is dual-testing—making sure women get an HPV test at the same time they have a Pap smear.
Cure Cervical Cancer is a global organization that establishes self-sustaining clinics around the world. Their volunteers provide one-stop “see & treat” cervical cancer screenings and preventive treatments, train local healthcare providers, and build partnerships in places like Nigeria, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Guatemala.
Along with these partnerships comes a distinct advantage of the International Pageant System to foster an atmosphere of cooperation. “It’s not a typical competition,” Jessy says. “We all want to collaborate and make friendships and help each other get our messages out.”
With that in mind, Jessy has clear goals with her “Talk Teal” platform: advocate, educate, facilitate, and collaborate. “To advocate, I want to generate awareness. I’d love to lobby, make connections, and speak with government agencies. I want to educate individuals about preventive choices, focusing on young women between the ages of 13 and 25, as well as mom-groups. I want to facilitate by creating spaces where women can talk about their experiences and fears and ask questions about cervical cancer. And to collaborate, I want to pull from the services provided by Cervivor, Cure Cervical Cancer, and other similar organizations.”
A Personal Message
No one likes to talk about cancer, especially the gynecological cancers, but a physical exam that was statistically unnecessary may have saved Jessy’s life. Knowing that cervical cancer awareness is a part of her own story now regardless of the outcome of the upcoming pageant, her message is one of prevention. “Get screened. Talk to your doctor. Let 2018 be the year you make sure you’re where you need to be with cervical cancer and HPV tests. Vaccinations against HPV exist. Talk to your doctor about whether or not the vaccine is right for your family.”
Jessy admits to having butterflies about being on the stage on April 7, but she has a positive and humble outlook. “With this pageant experience, you won’t win if you’re worried about the people you’re competing against. You have to stay true to yourself. You have to be comfortable in your own skin. You have to be you. That’s the only way to earn the crown.”
Want to “Talk Teal” with Jessy MacNair? You can meet her at Apex PeakFest on Saturday, May 5 from 10am to 5pm. This is her fourth year as the PeakFest Mascot and Special Guest Coordinator and you can find her in the Kids Zone with pageant titleholders and mascot friends from all over North Carolina.
For more information about Jessy’s cervical cancer awareness platform, the organizations with which she is collaborating, or the Mrs. NC International Pageant, visit her Facebook page (Mrs. Apex International 2018 Jessy Mistric MacNair) or contact Jessy directly at
mrsapexintl2018@gmail.com
You can also find information at
these websites:
www.ncinternationalpageant.com
www.curecervicalcancer.org
www.italkteal.com
www.cervivor.org
