Three years ago, Andrea from Kristiansand fought for her life

Andrea Farias (20 years old) from Kristiansand suffers from a rare disease called gastroparesis. Simply put, this means that her stomach and intestines are not working properly.

– I challenged myself when I told everyone that I wanted to be the first Miss World contestant with a so-called “button” on my stomach. For me, this was a unique opportunity to talk about a disease that few have heard about, says Andrea to Si og Hour.

Ambitions

The Kristiansand girl is happy because she decided to participate in the competition. Because although she initially felt that her competitors had perfect bodies, Andrea was able to express her feelings when the results of this year’s Miss Norway competition were read.

– It’s a miracle he’s alive

Andrea came in second place and was named “runner-up” behind winner Julie Marie Tollefsen (27) from Oslo. The 20-year-old will never forget the joy she felt when the results were read.

-I will travel to India in February next year! In New Delhi, I will compete on behalf of Norway to become Miss World, says the 20-year-old excitedly.

Andrea finished high school in two years. She also has a fashion education, style training, and as a skin therapist.

The plan was to study Spanish this school year. But due to absence rules, she chose to drop out of school. Now it’s about preparing to compete in India.

They found each other after the death of the children

-It’s a childhood dream come true. I practice a lot to move correctly on the runway, and I spend time getting a lot of costumes and sponsors. Because although I love dressing up, these weeks will be the time when the party dress will actually be worn to brunch.

He will be a role model

Andrea’s daily life still largely revolves around eating what she can afford. Her and the doctors’ hope that life would be easier if nutrition was injected directly into her intestines was dashed by complications.

– The button on my stomach was removed a few weeks before the Miss Norway contest. “I felt like I was performing on stage in a way that others felt like ‘two navels,’” says Andrea.

I was told I was healthy

However, by telling her story, she is determined to set an example for others who depend on this way of obtaining food.

Gastroparesis is referred to as a serious condition. It is rare for the disease to be diagnosed in patients younger than Andrea. Most people with this health challenge are in their 50s and 60s, and often have diabetes.

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Andrea explains that in her case, the serious illness began with something reminiscent of a heartburn. Eventually, in the evenings, she started vomiting everything she ate during the day.

Bad rumours

There were rumors at school. She told her little sister how it was rumored that Andrea was anorexic.

– I didn’t care about it myself. In my mind, an eating disorder was something that could go away. It would be far-fetched if my problems were caused by something chronic, Andrea tells Se og Hør.

He had three boys on the same date

She was told that her problems were only psychological, and that everything would be solved if she just got a little better at eating. But years of investigations and treatments did not solve the mystery.

After extensive Internet searches, the smart school teen himself suggested that gastroparesis could be the answer to the mystery. But her young age belied the fact that she could be affected by such a serious diagnosis.

– I was convinced that I had the answer, and I stood my ground. When they finally believed me, a CT scan proved me right.

Very sick

In the summer of 2021, the little girl, who was 173 cm tall, weighed only 44 kilograms. The disease had caused her to lose 20 kilograms of weight in a short time.

-At one point, my body was so weak that the long, thick hair that I was always proud of fell out in big clumps.

-No one had any idea that I had Down’s disease

Doctors suspected that she also had alopecia areata.

– It was as if I had chemotherapy. Today I know that this was my body’s way of letting me know that I was receiving too little nutrition, Andre tells Se og Hør.

She had long been at risk of heart, liver and kidney failure. The rescue was tube feeding through the nose, and at the same time I tried to eat normal food.

– I saw the irony in the fact that I, who had always wanted to eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight, could actually do it. But that really wasn’t what happiness in life was like!

Today, Andrea is very concerned with getting adequate and correct nutrition.

– Now I only eat food that I know I can tolerate, and I eat more little by little. It’s all about working out the digestive system, she says happily, and she’s now gained a little weight since this summer.

Large quantities of nutritional drinks and protein powder will become a normal part of her luggage when she travels to India in a few months – to fulfill her dream of participating in Miss World.

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