At 14, Maddy Thomas knows more about responsibility than most teens her age. Remember the lyrics to “What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, “And all that’s nice.”
For Maddy, you should add words like backbone, resilience, dedication and the courage to battle some difficult issues as a young woman. And if life has given her enough to battle, she decided to join another battle – the battle against breast cancer for the Queen of Pink organization. She is now serving as the organization’s 2024 Teen Miss Queen of Pink and putting her royal skills to work to help raise monies for those battling breast cancer.
In April, Maddy competed in the pageantry competition hosted by the Miss Pink Louisiana Organization (www.queenofpink.org). The non-profit organization was created with the hopes of providing financial assistance to breast cancer patients, who reside in the Southwest Louisiana five parish areas of Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jeff Davis. A one-time gift of $500 is given to each recipient, which likely goes towards treatment costs and other breast cancer related expenses.
As a queen, Maddy and the other members of the pink court visit other festivals to bring awareness to their cause. They also participate in fundraisers throughout the year to raise monies. Two of the biggest fundraisers is the annual Queen of Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Walk in Moss Bluff and the annual Queen of Pink Pageant held in Lake Charles on the second Saturday in June. The walk and benefit is always held on the first Saturday in October at the VFW in Moss Bluff.
What better way to help someone battle breast cancer, than to listen to them and share your own battles in life. In her short life, Maddy has been diagnosed with several conditions including Hypermobility Ehters-Dantos Syndrome, fibromyalgia, Raynaud’s Syndrome, dysautonomia, POTS, mast cell activation syndrome and immunity deficiency. Maddy loves her grandmother, who is also a breast cancer survivor, and she is proud to represent people like her grandmother.
Thomas is the daughter of Brandy and Will Thomas of Reeves. She has one sister, Mia Thomas. Her grandparents are Faye and Jessie Ardoin of Reeves.
Maddy also has learned about patriotism for her country through her parents, both who have served their country. Her dad is the commander of the VFW Post 12203 in Kinder. She was excited to spend her Fourth of July holiday with family an friends to celebrate her country’s birthday. She also recently participated in the flag retirement ceremony held in Kinder.
If you listen to Maddy, you may not realize the health situations she battles daily. A ninth grader, she is home-schooled. She loves cheering and playing volleyball for the Lake Area Wildcats, a team designed for home-school students. Her mom said Maddy’s schedule includes volleyball on Monday and Tuesday, church on Wednesday and Saturdays for all things associated pageant. Traveling, meeting new people, spreading a message of love and understanding, this teen is wise beyond her years.
Maddy just made a cover of the “More than a Crown” magazine edition for August where she shared her “Pretty in Pink” message.
Her travel partner, or better known as her “sash sister,” Nokomys Williams of Elton, the title holder of Queen of Pink Princesses, likes to join forces with Deb Miss Anistyn Willet and Miss Louisiana Ribbon of Colors Queen Kenasyn Willet. Maddy said its important to support her fellow sisters. She also assists with coaching, and assisted Willet in her recent win.
Another thing Maddy enjoys is signing autographs for those young girls who can’t wait to grow up and win a title too.
“Come help us slay breast cancer,” Maddy belts out to the audience as she reminds them to join her for the 16th Annual Walk on Saturday, October 5, at the Moss Bluff VFW, 2668 US-171, Lake Charles. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Opening ceremonies opens at 8:30 a.m. and the event begins at 9 a.m. Registration fee is $20 (ages 13 and up), $15 (Children four to 12) and no charge for those three and under. There will be a live auction at 2 p.m., raffle, split the pot, door prizes, car show, gumbo cook off, live music and DJ, vendor booths, sweet shop, kids’ games, corn hole tournament and silent auction from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit www.queenofpink.org for more information.