Miss Idaho Wears Insulin Pump On Stage (Photo)

The newly crowned Miss Idaho 2014, Sierra Sandison, is being hailed as an inspiration for wearing her insulin pump exposed while competing in the bikini portion of a pageant.

The inspiring photo, which was taken by photographer Susan Hessing, easily became viral, giving confidence to other diabetes patients to also post their own pictures with their insulin pumps on social networking sites using the hashtag #showmeyourpump, People reported.

“There it is,” Sanderson wrote on the image-sharing site along with photo. “I would never have dreamt of posting a swimsuit picture on social media, but diabetics from all over the country have been asking to see me and my insulin pump on the #MissIdaho2014 stage.”

“Honestly, it is terrifying walking out on stage in a swimsuit, let alone attached to a medical device,” she admitted, but recognized the fact that all people have something that doesn’t “measure up” to the beauty standards set by the media. “And that is okay! It does not make you any less beautiful.”

“Don’t let your challenge hold you back or slow you down,” she added. “Use it to, not only empower yourself and grow as an individual, but to serve and influence other people as well.”

In a post she wrote on the official Miss Idaho blog, she wrote that she was diagnosed with diabetes in February 2012 and that made her world flipped upside down.

Agencies/Canadajournal