Kelsi Gagne of Freeport, the reigning Mrs. Maine American, poses with her daughter, Hayley. Gagne chose as her pageant platform spreading awareness about the prevalence and impact of cytomegalovirus, which her daughter was born with and suffered loss of hearing. Suzette Morin Photography
Growing up in Lewiston, Kelsi Gagne had a childhood dream of being in a beauty pageant. But it was the challenges her child faced that helped give Gagne the motivation to compete in a pageant as an adult, as well as write a book, campaign for healthy children and more.
Gagne is the reigning Mrs. Maine American, which is the title given Maine’s second-place finisher in the state level competition for the Mrs. America Pageant. She will travel to Las Vegas in August with Mrs. Maine America for the national competition.
Gagne was born in Lewiston, graduating from Lewiston High School. Her parents taught at local schools. She grew up, married and gave birth to two girls. When her second daughter, Hayley, was born she was a little small, but was seemingly healthy and passed her newborn hearing test. It wasn’t until Hayley went to day care that staff noticed she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“I went to the audiologist and I went by myself because as I was like, if anything, she’ll need a small hearing aid,” Gagne said. “And they pretty much were like ‘Your daughter’s deaf.’ And it was awful for a while.”
Gagne and her husband later found out that their daughter had contracted cytomegalovirus, or CMV, at birth.
Congenital CMV infection is a leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss, which often presents at birth, but in many instances may develop only after months or even years, according to the National Institute of Health.
Hayley has a cochlear implant and has worn hearing aids since she was 2.
Despite its relative prevalence, 91% of expecting parents are unaware of CMV and how to prevent it.
“I’m in health care, I’m an occupational therapist, and I don’t know about this virus. So, I was baffled and dumbfounded and punched in the gut,” Gagne said.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three children contract CMV before the age of 5 in the United States, although not all develop symptoms.
“When my daughter got diagnosed, that kind of lit a fire inside of me, in all ways,” Gagne said.
Already juggling a family and job, she began waking up at 4:30 a.m. to give her time to work on a book — a self-help guide to achieving goals and taking control of your life. Two years later, “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow: What To Do In The MEAN Time — A Realistic Guide To Taking Control Back Over Your Dreams, Mind, Emotions, and Time,” was published.
Then Gagne decided to pursue her childhood dream of competing in a beauty pageant, and made her platform increasing public awareness of CMV.
Representing Freeport, where she and her family now live, Gagne competed earlier this year in the state competition for the Mrs. America Pageant. “We ended up in Freeport with our two kids just because that’s what happened in life,” Gagne said. “But it’s interesting because we joke that I feel like I should be Mrs. Lewiston.”
Gagne said she decided to enter the Mrs. Maine America pageant to make friendships, build confidence and inspire her daughters.
Gov. Janet Mills, center, and state Sen. Catherine Breen left of Mills, stand with other lawmakers and families, including Kelsi Gagne and her two daughters, Hayley and Hadley, left of Breen, on the day Mills signed LD 1747. The bill will provide cytomegalovirus testing for newborns and educate parents about the virus and its effects. Courtesy of Kelsi Gagne
Scoring for the pageant involves three aspects: interviews with judges, bathing suit competition and evening gown competition. Gagne said much of her approach to the pageant involved trying to maintain who she was while having fun and having new experiences.
Part of who she was involved the experience she had with daughter Haley, and for that reason she chose as her pageant platform spreading awareness about the prevalence and impact of CMV.
“I didn’t think I’d win,” Gagne said in a recent interview. “I thought I was just checking it off. And then (I came in second and) I am going to Vegas in August. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’”
Gagne heads to the national competition starting Aug. 17 for nine days. There, she will participate in rehearsals, prepare for interviews and take day trips before the actual pageant Aug. 26.
A highlight of the whole experience for Gagne has been meeting the other women.
“I love that it’s a ‘Mrs.’ pageant because the women are really established and usually have a really good platform. They’re educated, they’re moms and so it’s a good group of women to be around,” Gagne said.
Gagne describes the women she’s met as “multifaceted,” a word that could also be applied to her. She has a published book, her doctorate in health policy and occupational therapy, is a certified wellness coach and works with the National CMV Foundation.
“I will be 40 in November. So I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m going to show my kids they can do anything,’” she said.
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