By Sophie Madden
BBC News, West Midlands
A woman competing to be Miss England said being diagnosed with a pain condition, and a tumour, led her to pursue her dreams.
Miss Shropshire, Eloise Sarasini, is currently competing in the beauty pageant.
At 21 she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which she said made her focus on doing what she loved.
She now wants to be a positive role model for others.
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain all over the body.
Miss Sarasini said the discomfort is “widespread” and limited her ability to work full time.
Last year she was also diagnosed with a tumour in her spine which is also a source of some of her pain.
IMAGE SOURCE,ELOISE SARASINIImage caption,
Eloise Sarasini has fibromyalgia and was last year found to have a tumour in her spine
“It opened my eyes and I realised that life can change at the click of a finger, in a moment, which led me down the route of pursuing my desires, that being going for Miss England, walking in Northern Fashion Week, many more things, teaching dance locally and pursuing my dreams,” she said.
She said she is due to have further treatment in the future but is examining her options.
“I think it is really important to be yourself and embrace who you are and I think with that comes new opportunities,” she said.
“And that has made me more determined and more motivated to do the things I enjoy.
“You’ve got to pursue the things that make you happy instead of striving for things that don’t.”
