The-Slight-Edge

Two life Paths 103
“My recovery is a symbol of persistence,
courage and the Slight Edge.”
by Tracy Broughton ®
As Ms. America ® 2011, there is a lot of glitz and glamour that come along with
the title, but behind the glamour, what is really important is one’s real foundation
which should be built around character. i want to share my story with you in hopes
that in some way it inspires you, and that you know that all of your dreams are
attainable by having faith and determination and taking daily action to get there.
make it but i had other plans. in elementary school, my mother was diagnosed
with stage four cancer and given six to eight months to live. i still remember
the day that my mother told me to not worry about her cancer and that she
would see me graduate high school. Unfortunately, in junior high there were
many challenges at home that caused us to move eight times, in and out of
the state, within several years. i even lived on my own for a period of time, luckily
helping take care of my three siblings, my mother and working, i persevered
through traumatic times in my life by doing the little things, in each area of my
life, that didn’t seem to make any difference at the time i did them. i knew that if
i persevered i would arrive at the doorstep of my dreams eventually. i went on to
be a scholar athlete, played varsity sports, set school records, and took on many
Two months after graduating high school, about six years longer than they gave
her to live, my mother passed away. i went on to pursue my modeling career. i
channeled my energy and efforts into building my career. i worked tirelessly, doing
the things every day that were easy to do, easy not to do, and was featured
commercials and beauty pageants.
i believe that the perseverance that it takes to succeed in modeling and acting
is the same thing that helped me with my recuperation after not one, but two car
accidents. in October of 1991 and December of 1996 i was in major car accidents
and sustained severe injuries that caused me to be admitted in to the intensive
Care Unit and the hospital for months. in 1996 i was diagnosed hemiplegic, i was
My philosophies and faith are constants in my life, and they have helped me
Through occupational and physical therapy, my rehab included working on my
speech, learning to tie my shoes, preparing food, transferring, bathing, and being
able to accomplish everyday needs on my own. Through years of therapy, at the
hospital, with doctors, at PT, in the gym, and at home, sometimes one to three
times a day, i had to stay consistent with a positive attitude. There were years of
little or no improvement or progress, yet i continued to believe and work towards
walking. The hard work seemed to make no difference at all, but it was internal
motivations that fueled my actions. i looked past my current circumstances,
no extrinsic rewards for the subtle stages of progress over the last fourteen plus
years, these rewards only came when others were able to see me stand up and
then later walk. My continued recovery is a symbol of persistence, courage and
the Slight Edge.