Mickey Deputy has faced quite a lot of hurdles in her life. She was born with three holes in her heart — that’s right, three — and on top of that, she battled leukemia when she was only 7 years old. She also has Down syndrome, which has been a journey in and of itself.
But today? She has her sights set on quite a different battle, but one no less strenuous than everything she’s overcome since.
"I imagine myself being a real-life princess," says Mickey, and when you meet her, you can't deny she is already precisely that. With all the grace, pose, and absolute unyielding determination of every Disney princess imaginable, there is clearly nothing Mickey can't achieve if she sets her mind to it.
It's that kind of fire that seems to carry her into the Miss Hoosier Heartland competition, which welcomes young women to participate every year.
And this is no walk in the park! It's actually considered to be the "preliminary to the Miss Indiana [and] Miss Indiana’s Outstanding Teen for the Miss America."
I’d highly recommend watching this video in particular, as it details just what people with Down syndrome go through every single day. There’s also this incredible new show by A&E called Born This Way that I’m so excited to share with everyone I know!
These are some pretty big glass slippers to fill, but ultimately, Mickey knows it doesn’t matter who wins and who loses. What really matters, according to this modern-day royal majesty, is “that heart that is always a winner."
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