Indian American contestant, Shree Saini collapsed right before Miss World America final night of the competition in Las Vegas on October 12th, 2019. “Please pray for my daughter Shree Saini. This is Ekta Saini, Shree’s mom. Shree collapsed right before Miss World America final night of competition, which started with evening gown,” read a post shared on Instagram on Sunday.
Sharing details of what happened, Ekta sani, Shree’s mom, wrote: “They called me backstage after the ambulance had arrive, ready to take Shree to the hospital. Shree was so happy and joyful all day and did a great job yesterday at the Miss World America preliminary round. I heard that Shree won 5 out of 6 awards during today’s final night of competition.”
“We have been in hospital since 9 p.m. They are doing cat scan, EKG, etc. Doctors just told me that less than 1% people at age 12 have a Pacemaker. So Shree will stay in hospital for a ‘cardiac arrest watch’. Prayers requested.”
While Shree was still under observation, the Miss World America organization reached the hospital to give Shree five awards—“Beauty With A Purpose Award; Top Influencers Award; Entrepreneur Challenge Award; 1st Runner Up Talent Award; and 1st Runner Up Top Model Award’—that she won as a run-up to the final round.
Miss India Worldwide Shree Saini was among five Indian-American contestants selected for the Miss World America pageant, held on Oct. 12 at the Hotel New Orleans in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joining Saini, 23, of Seattle, Washington, were Manju Bangalore, 22, of Los Angeles, California; Lekha Ravi, 26, of Miami, Florida; Jasmeet Ghoman, 20, of Des Moines, Iowa; and Amulya Chava, 17, Topeka, Kansas.
Contestants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will compete for the crown. The winner, who will be crowned by Miss World America, Marisa Butler, of Maine, and will represent the U.S at Miss World 2019 in London.
“It is my honor and privilege to be among these incredible women, who are brilliant, insanely talented and great community servants in their states,” Saini, who was the Miss India USA in 2017, went on to say of her entry into the final leg of the Miss World America competition.
Shree has survived severe facial burns, constant bullying, and a heart surgery for a pacemaker at age 12. Shree’s childhood dream to serve as Miss World, led her to change her adversities to advocacy, have a victor mindset, rather than victim mindset, according to the official site of Miss World America. Shree, who has studied at Yale University and Harvard University, has created an app on emotional health at Stanford University.
As Miss World Washington, Saini is also part of the Beauty With A Purpose project (#BeautywithaPurpose) which she says is the “very best part” of competing for Miss World America. “As your servant leader and a heart patient, I have been working with heart health through American Heart Association and I have also been speaking about the value of Emotional Wellbeing all around the world,” Saini noted on Facebook. She was also recently chosen as the “National Ambassador” for “Victoria’s Voice” a non-profit founded by parents of Victoria Siegel, who died of a drug overdose in 2015.
According to Saini’s profile on the pageant website, she has given 100s of presentations in over 80 cities and 6 countries, written 400 some articles in newspapers on emotional fitness, and has helped fundraise over $800,000 via her nonprofit shreesaini.org.
A business manager, speaker, mentor, and a dancer, Saini has survived severe facial burns, constant bullying, and a heart surgery for a pacemaker at age 12. Her childhood dream to serve as Miss World, led her to change her adversities to advocacy, have a victor mindset, rather than victim mindset.
To help others gain tools on how to lead a purposeful and fulfilling life, despite life’s challenges, Saini has given several presentations in over 80 cities and 6 countries and written articles on emotional fitness, and has helped fundraise over $800,000 via her nonprofit shreesaini.org.
After winning the Miss India Worldwide crown last year, Saini, in an interview stated that that she always wanted to compete in pageants since 1st grade. “Your life’s legacy is defined by how you make people feel, with each vibe/interaction/conversation and the positive difference you make in other’s lives in your lifetime,” she had India Abroad about her journey to the crown. “Let us all have a solution mindset, we should always try to defuse the negativity in any situation and focus on the light within all of us.”
