Captions by James Brown. Edited by Glenna Casalme. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 Two, three, four. (CHEERFUL BLUEGRASS MUSIC) My name is Abigail Manery. I am 17 years old. I go to Vallivue High School, and I am gonna be a junior. I am the 2017 Miss Amazing Teen Queen. When I won Miss Amazing for Idaho, I began to cry on stage. I was honestly up there saying, 'Wow, I had a good night. I'm glad I did not win.' And then I heard my name, and, like, 'Oh, yay, I won.' I have a developmental and cognitive disorder. Basically, that means my brain works differently than most people. It's changed my life. It's changed the way I speak to people. It changed the way... I... walk. It helps me with my self-confidence and my self-worth. And I am hoping to be the first Idaho representative to ever win the Miss Amazing pageant. Thank you for your time and have a good day. And then we'll put the stuff in here. Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. Hi. This is my mom and this is my dad. Hi. Hi. 'I have a really big family, but it's mainly just my dad, my mom and I.' They are very protective because they love me and they want me to have the best life I can ever have. And they treat me like I was b-born in this family. That was just` Show your dad your gun show. How was your`? (GRUNTS) How was the Y? (LAUGHS) Besides you smashed your finger on a weight. 'Chuck and I got married when I was older. He has five children from a previous marriage. 'So we have six children.' The peppers are going through all over. Yep. Yep. 'I was 39 when I got married, so according to my doctor, my eggs were dusty.' And so we just decided that maybe biologically having children wasn't for us. And then, when we heard about Abigail, it just seemed to click in my heart and in my mind. Aw. This is you in the orphanage. See how small you were? Yeah. 'I was born in Bulgaria, and then I had two heart surgeries. 'And then my parents couldn't afford having me, because Bulgaria's a poor country.' So they entered me into an orphanage, where I lived there for two years of my life. Abigail was adopted by a couple that lived in Idaho, and she felt that Abigail was more high-needs than they had been led to believe. And then we were able to adopt her after that. Yep, there you are again, way back. Aw! These aren't in order. When she came to us, she was 6 years old. She still was on a bottle. She was the size of a 2-year-old. She had just learned to walk and run. I mean, she didn't talk. All of her insides are backwards. Her heart is closer to the middle, and it's also backwards. She's had three heart surgeries. And her intestines were also backwards, and that required surgery as well. (LAUGHS) You decided right then you wanted to be a princess. You ever thought back then that you'd be a Miss Amazing now? No. No, me either. (GENTLE, FLOWING GUITAR MUSIC) Miss Amazing pageant is a pageant for girls with disabilities. It's not your typical beauty pageant. It's not... where they see how beautiful you are on the outside. It's` They see` It's a skills-based pageant. The skills are interviews. So they teach job-interviewing skills, on-stage introduction, teach public speaking and a stage walk in gowns to build confidence. Abigail and our family has set a goal to raise the money to get to the pageant. And Abigail, in the process, has had to set several little goals of fundraising and doing appearances. Going to the national pageant, for Abigail and for Chuck and I, has everything to do with connecting with other families, letting Abigail be with other people who are like her and making connections and making friends and just finding a community. (STATELY MUSIC) How do you think you wanna wear your hair at the pageant? I dunno. One more crimp. One more crimp. My name is McKenna. I'm 17 years old. You done? Yeah. I'm the Teen Queen from Miss Amazing Georgia. Let's practise the speech real quick for Miss Amazing, while we have a few minutes. OK. I'll be the judge. OK. I like doing VibeClass and Zumba, and I work with animals, and I cheer, and I work with little kids. Remember, you're` BOTH: ...smart, beautiful and important. When I won Miss Amazing, I felt happy. I was, like, so surprised that I did happy crying. And then I liked it. Do you want half a bagel? Do you wanna split one with me? I'm good. In my family, there's me, my mom, my dad, and my dog and my cat. Are we just doing stunting? What were they doing? The beginning. The beginning of the hip-hop or the cheer? The hip-hop. 'We didn't really have a plan to have one child. That's how it happened. 'But around 10 months, my father realised that she wasn't really responding 'as quickly as a 10-month-old would.' I guess we're done. Yeah. 'We went to a neurologist and had an EEG done, and they discovered that she has seizures.' In the beginning, you couldn't really tell, unless you spent a lot of time with her, that she would just kinda blank out for 30 seconds at a time, 60 seconds at a time. As she got older, the neurologist had warned us that they could morph into different types of seizures, where she did have a grand mal seizure when, I think, she was 3 years old. She always has seizure activity going on in her brain, and disruption in her thought process, which caused learning delays. It's gonna be a good day, right? Yep. (BOTH CHUCKLE) I think you go through a grieving process, that it's not what you pictured happening. And then you're scared, and then I'm one that researches a lot on the internet, so then you get more scared. You just come to a point, well, we're gonna work with what the situation is, and we'll make sure she gets the best care possible and make sure that she can do all the activities she wants to do. Start. (UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC) Shake it, girl. (BOTH LAUGH) 'We've been doing a lot of prep work for Miss Amazing, 'practising her talent, which is a hip-hop dance. 'Trying to do it once a day, when she feels like it.' 'She's more spur-of-the-moment; she might practise it five times in a row one day.' Put some more oomph into it. 'I hope that I can win Miss Amazing to go on the next stage, so I can help people. 'It's about, like, kids with disability, like me. 'Like, if kids are, like, feeling lonely, then I help them.' I really wanna make a difference in the world, from, like, if people are sad, then I make them happy. We'll practise some more so we have it down pat for Miss Amazing, OK? High five. This is the stairs. Now I'm gonna come and show you my room. Abigail has an attachment disorder. If you want to see my room. For six months prior to actually moving in with us, her other family had her staying with a family friend. So we're her fifth placement. And this is my room, and` Oh. This is my cat, named Noel. (MEOWS) Don't bite me! When she first moved into us, all day long, 'I'm your baby. Yes, I'm your baby.' 'You're my mom.' 'Yes, I'm your mom.' I feel that I have to work really hard to please everyone here, because I've been bouncing back from house to house to house, and I'm just afraid that if I mess up, then I would be kicked out on the kerb. Oh, I love you, little one. When she would get in trouble as a child, there would be a look that would come into her eyes and a look on her face that broke my heart. It was not the same experience as a typical child would, where, 'Oh, I made a mistake. 'I get to clean it up.' It almost felt like, in her mind, she was thinking, 'Oh, this is it. This is the last straw. I'm out of here.' We try to help her see that, 'Whatever you do, we're gonna hug you 'and we're gonna snuggle you and we're gonna say, "I love you," 'and you're gonna get up the next morning, and you're still gonna be in our house.' (PLAYS TUNE) I really love my family. My parents are my heroes, and they help me with the big stuff like the Miss Amazing pageant. (LAUGHS) So, this is the first dress I wore doing the pageant ` doing the Idaho pageant. We got this all the way in Utah. We couldn't find a dress that either fit me or a dress that... was a little more modest. I want it to be modest. OK, well, you know, I'm not used to looking at these dresses, so I'm not really sure what we're looking for, but we'll see what we can find. With the princess style, this might look really good, because it's shorter. What about something like that? Or is that too much? I think the slit alone is taller than Abby. (LAUGHS) (CHUCKLES) (LAUGHS) I like that one. We'll need to work on the spin, but that one's kinda cute, isn't it? Yeah, and` Oh. I like it. So, I have a scar ` my three heart surgeries. The reason why I'm so insecure is cos people ask me, 'Why do you have a scar?' And I don't really like answering, because then they would be like, 'Ha-ha-ha!' And they would just make fun of me. See what we think in the mirrors. 'Abby has multiple medical issues.' In a heartbeat, Abby's intestines can twist. And we have been told that if they twist, she will throw up multiple times or it will throw up green, and we have six hours to get her into a children's hospital and treat it, or she'll die. 'On a daily basis, we're checking in with her eating, her fluid intake, 'her heart rate; are her lips turning blue? 'I don't think we live in fear, but it's definitely constantly in the back of our minds.' Mm-hm. Do another spin. Nice. (GENTLE MUSIC) (CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY) Go around. Gun it. So, make sure you keep your eyes on the road at all times, all right? 'She's not able to get a licence to drive a regular car now, but she knows how to drive. 'It gives her a little bit of independence, and she doesn't feel left out. She's still driving. 'And every time we go to the beach, she drives us everywhere in this thing.' All right, so, stop at the stop sign. Stop. OK, look both ways. You're good to go. Watch me turn here. MAUREEN: I would like McKenna to be as independent as possible. I think it's important to let her know what's out there, to expose her to a lot of different things. We try to travel, and we also stress to her it's important to give back to the community. She volunteers at church with other kids with disabilities that are younger than her. Let's go past Miss Deborah's house, and let's go down all the way to the other side. I've always felt like friendships are very important. I have a close group of friends. And I knew that would be important for her. And it's very difficult, I think, for special-needs children to connect. And I think activities are important, and to be aware of the activities. All right, forward rolls down the mat, OK? (LAUGHS) Oh! Georgia All Stars has been a blessing to us. The parents that are involved in this particular gym are so supportive. We're all kind of on the same page. Great resources for each other ` that's so important. Exchanging information when the school year rolls around. I'm one of the ringleaders, I guess, for the men that go to these cheer competitions. And I never thought I'd be going to cheer competitions, but here I am. They practise throughout the year, and they have a couple of national competitions ` one of the largest in the world, which is called Cheersport. Clap ` one, two. Bend` (LAUGHS) Step in. One foot. There you go. And another foot. Come on, lift yourself up. I can't lift you. Good job. Stand up. Stand up. It's OK. Stand up. All right, stand up. You got it. Very good. Good job! I'm free! Bring his feet down. OK. There you go. They are my family. They are really my closest friends here. My support system, people to cry to, people to laugh with, people to go out with. It's been great. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) (GIRLS CHATTER, LAUGH) (PIANO MUSIC RISES) I love animals, cos they're really nice to me and they... they don't judge you at all. Animals, also, I don't have to be afraid to be myself. I can just be myself. And they don't mock me. Oh, you like it right there, huh? READS: I know it can be difficult to be friends with someone who's different. They may not always understand what you are saying. We may not always be able to follow the conversation. We may have funny behaviour, such as weird head movements, talking to themselves, saying the same thing over and over again, talking loudly, not being able to say words correctly. I spend a lot of time alone. I don't get invited to parties. I don't get to go to movies with my friends, to just hang out. (GENTLE MUSIC) Abigail has been teased and bullied and made fun of her entire school life. She has a couple of behaviours from being in an orphanage that are part of her development, that she will always do, and one of them is a head movement like this, and it happens; she can't control it; she doesn't know she's doing it. It's just a part of her, as breathing is. But that's been a big source of kids making fun of her. They have teased her for her small size. They'd say the most horrible things to her, and Abigail would come just home crying. (GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES) This year she texted me. She said, 'I was doing fine until they started throwing things at my head in math.' And then I had a complete meltdown, and I left work immediately and went to school. And I remember thinking the whole way there that Abigail is such an amazing young woman who is working her butt off at everything they do, and those kids are throwing things at her head in a classroom. And then I got to the school, and when she saw me, she just fell into my arms just sobbing, and that's where she shared that they had been doing that basically all year. I don't like the students because there are some students that bully me and it just wasn't as fun going to school. And,... yeah. I keep it a secret from my parents cos I'm a people pleaser and I don't want those kids to hate my guts. And it just breaks my heart. I... It would mean the world to me if Abigail had... just even one person.... that wanted to hang out with her. How many friends have you got, Abigail? I don't know. Not many. (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) I can't even walk in a straight line. Ready? All right. Let's go. We're gonna party! Time to party. Come on. Hi, Ashley! Hi! (LAUGHS) Lookit ` I'm hooked up to a mic. Hey! Come on in, guys. Hi. Hey, how are ya? I dunno why I plonked the sandwiches in the middle there. Well, thank you guys for all coming. Thank you. Here, I'll blow it. Oh my God! # Happy birthday, dear McKenna. GIRL: McKenna! # Happy birthday... To you! # ...to you. # (APPLAUSE) Make a wish. Yeah! (LAUGHS) I have 10 best friends. My favourite things to do is hang out with my friends, go underwater with them, and hanging out. (WATER SPLASHES, GIRLS LAUGH) If you could have one thing in the whole world, McKenna, what would that one thing be? My friends. Yeah. Miss Amazing is awesome, because, like, I get to meet friends in there. Like, if they kids don't have any friends, then I can be their friend. And then... And then I can, like, help them. McKenna heard about an opportunity from Miss Amazing to reach out to other girls in other states that have won the pageant in her category. She found a girl named Abigail, who lives in Idaho, which she had to look up on a map ` she did not know where it was ` so that's exciting in itself. Hey, Pea. Hey. Oh, I wanted to write a letter to Abigail. That sounds good. 'I decided to write a letter to Abigail cos I wanted to be her friend.' What do you wanna tell her? I can't wait to see you. That sounds good. 'Because I know she didn't have any friends, and I wanna be her pen pal.' Love, McKenna. There. (GENTLE MUSIC) Have you been practising? What? Your trumpet. Yeah, I have. So you did what Mr Adamson's asked you to do? Yeah. OK, good. (PLAYS TUNE CAREFULLY) When we heard about the Miss Amazing pageant, we had no idea what it was, so we went, and... it immediately felt safe. Try it with the click. (CLICK TRACK PLAYS) One, two, ready and go. (BOTH PLAY TUNE) They were all sharing their talents, and then they were looking beautiful, and they all got a crown, and they all were able to feel special for one day, and, yes, I wanted so much for that, for Abigail to have that day where she just got to go hang out with a bunch of girls, learning about doing hair and just getting a buddy and meeting different girls. (BOTH PLAY LONG FINAL NOTE) You were awesome! You did so good. I'm so proud of you. I can tell; I made you cry. Yes, you did make my` You did make me cry. Beauty is just about bringing out your talents, because there are some people that are really beautiful at singing. When I sing, I sound like a dying walrus. SINGS BROKENLY: # ...victory march. It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah. # Hallelujah. # What I like about having a job is I am learning how to put things away, and I'm learning how to organise. Not only that, but I'm learning how to stay on task and be able to do the things that I will do at the job I want. It's really fun. It's really fun being able to earn my own money and to be able to do what I'm supposed to do and pay my own bills. Abigail is 17. She should be a senior, but she will just be a junior next year. In school, she has an individual education plan, where she got some accommodations to help her. She is allowed extra time, because her brain does process things a little slower. And your total is gonna be $21.20, please. All right. Thank you so very much. Our neuropsychologist told us that her IQ number will never change, but her ability to function, to grow and to manage life is unlimited. And a big part of what we're doing now, as Abby's getting ready to turn 18, is teaching her how to advocate for herself. Here I am, sitting in a car, wanting to bite my nails, cos Abigail is inside the store, doing fundraising all by herself. I have total confidence in her, but it is a little nerve-racking just sitting here waiting. Hello. Is the manager or owner here today? Um, I can speak to you there. I'm Abigail Manery. I am the 2017 Miss Amazing Teen Queen. I was wondering if you would like to help fundraise so then I could go to Chicago. OK. Well, we actually don't do a lot of sponsorship type of thing, but I really would like to do something for you, and I hope it helps you out. Well, thank you. We can give you a gift certificate. I hope that can help you out one way or the other. Well, it was very nice meeting you, and thank you for your time. Thank you for coming in, and good luck, OK? Thank you. Have a nice day. You too, ma'am. I see the fundraising as being a way for Abigail to learn how to approach people she doesn't know, to learn how to handshake, eye contact when talking to people, and as a way to say, 'Hey, this is what's going on. This is what I need. How can you help?' Hello. Hello. Is the manager here today? Yes, that's me. I'm David Wood. How are you? I'm doing well, thank you. And yourself? I'm doing great today. Good. 'Before Miss Amazing, I did not do any public speaking. I did it all afterwards.' So then, cos the public speaking mainly helped, so I could... feel more confident in my speaking, and it helped me so I could fundraise some money, so I could go up to Chicago. I was wondering if you'd be willing to support me so that I could go to Chicago. And... if I win, I'd be the first Idaho representative to win. I would love to go ahead and donate. Could I give you $50 donation? Would that be OK? That would be amazing. Thank you. OK. And I hope you have a nice day. OK. Thank you. We'll see you later. See ya. And thank you. Uh-huh. Bye-bye. Bye. Yeah. How are we gonna do in here? (GENTLE MUSIC) Are you thinking short or long? Both. OK, yeah, we can try both. Yeah. (LAUGHS) Oh! Beautiful, like a princess. I think she'll be happy for anyone who wins. I mean, I'm her mom; of course I would love for her to win. I think she has a great platform that she could share with people if she does win. Ooh! Even if she doesn't, I think this has brought a comfort level to her that she can share a message. I wanna public-speak with my friends. My tag line is, 'Smart, beautiful and important. 'And don't forget it.' (BOTH LAUGH) (GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES) I got a letter from another contestant, and now I'm writing back to her. McKenna lives in Georgia, and she wrote to me from Georgia. And I'm gonna be able to meet her in August in Chicago. Yes, it makes me super excited, cos then I can make a new best friend. I'm really excited to meet Abigail in Chicago, and I'm really happy that I get to be her friend. And what are you saying there in the letter? READS: Happy birthday. I can't wait to meet you in person. I hope that you have a good 17th birthday. You are the bomb. Love, Abby. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) Yay! We're off to Chicago! Whoo! (APPLAUSE) (GIRLS CHATTER, LAUGH) (GASPS) McKenna! Hi! My name is McKenna Brooks. I am 17 years old. My favourite hobbies are cheerleading, and I do Zumba. (APPLAUSE) (CHEERING) (PLAYS TUNE) Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for your 2017 National Miss Amazing Teen Queen.