Ms. America Georgia for 2019 brought a powerful and simple message of one way to deal with bullies Thursday to a group of teen and pre-teen girls gathered in the Honey Bowen Building.
“Smile,” said LaTresa Doleman. “Someone says something negative to you, turn it around and be positive. It’s hard. I’m not going to lie. It can be very difficult. Take a moment and smile. Ever since I was a little girl, my motto has been ‘A day without a smile is a day wasted.’ Every single day we have a reason to smile.”
Doleman and her husband NFL Hall of Fame player Chris Doleman were in Statesboro at the invitation of the Unique Mentoring program that is part of Statesboro Thrives Wellness Center.
“We try to offer some help and guidance to youth in our community,” said Dr. Amy Kitching, with Statesboro Thrives and Southern Chiropractic. “LaTresa is a wonderful role model to speak to our children.”
Standing more than 6 feet, two inches tall, Doleman related some of the teasing she experienced as a young teen.
“I’ve been this height since I was 13,” she said. “I was called Big Bird. And if I wore something green, the Jolly Green Giant. I got rid of all my green clothes.”
As part of her platform for the Ms. America 2019 Pageant, Doleman founded a non-profit foundation called “Making a Better Me.” Growing up, Doleman said she experienced the advantages of her family being able to afford her joining AAU travel volleyball and basketball teams.
“But I know there are a lot of youth out there who aren’t blessed like I was to afford to play AAU volleyball or AAU basketball or extracurricular activities. So the foundation will help young people pay for activities like sports or learning to play an instrument or art.
“Those types of activities are so important. Getting your mind thinking. And having something to look forward to. When you’re having a rough day at school, but when you sit down at that piano, or in front of that board and your painting a picture, you feel great.”
But then a life-changing event made her change her platform. Doleman’s husband, Chris, played 14 seasons in the NFL and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2012. In January 2018, they were planning to head to Minneapolis, where the Super Bowl was scheduled to be played.
But after noticing some stroke-like symptoms, LaTresa convinced him to see a doctor and he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. It is the same form of cancer that ultimately led to the recent death of Sen. John McCain.
Immediate surgery resulted in the removal of three tumors and left Chris Doleman’s left side virtually immobilized. But LaTresa said she slept in his Atlanta hospital room for the five weeks he was there after surgery and helped begin his rehabilitation.
She told the group the inspiration of seeing how hard he worked to both battle his cancer and rehabilitate his body caused her to change her Ms. America Pageant platform to helping cancer survivors.
“I know how cancer affects so many people and how it can be so devastating,” LaTresa Doleman said. “I wanted to bring even more attention to help and support cancer survivors and their families."
In closing, Doleman reminded the young girls to be positive about themselves and to always be kind.
“People fall in love with your heart,” she said. “People may not always remember your name, but they never ever will forget how you treated them and how you made them feel.”