Somerset girl competing for Mass. in Little Miss Princess of America Pageant
BRANSON MO NEWS: SOMERSET — Surrounded by competitive horseback riding ribbons and an army of American Girl dolls, Josephine Lavoie picked up her guinea pig, Cookie, and popped a crown on her head.A girl with varied interests, Jo-Jo, as she prefers to be called, will represent Massachusetts in the Little Miss Princess of America Pageant in Branson, Missouri, from July 30 to Aug. 4.“I’m very proud of her,” said her mom, Amy Lavoie. “She’s definitely going to go places in life.”Jo-Jo, 8, already has a long list of accomplishments despite the fact that she suffers from POTS, short for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.Jo-Jo was diagnosed with POTS at 17 months old, when she first fainted from the disease. It causes an increase in heart rate, chronic pain, leg swelling and other symptoms. Her symptoms increase in the warmer months.“Summer is hard on her,” Lavoie said.Some children grow out of POTS and some do not. Lavoie said there’s no way of knowing whether Jo-Jo will have the disease for life.It doesn’t stop Jo-Jo from doing the things she loves though, like horseback riding. Her dream is to own her own horse.“I love animals,” Jo-Jo said.She wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up and already has a plan.“I want to go to Harvard University,” Jo-Jo said, as she ran from her bedroom to the living room and then showed her visitors her books and school supplies, where she’s set up for home-schooling with her mom.“Nothing stops this kid,” Lavoie said. “She may be down for a day, but then she’s up again.”Jo-Jo started the Somerset MA Kindness Rocks Project last year to spread kindness in her community with positive messages on stones placed randomly around town.She’s volunteered for …
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