LOOKING PAST LIMITATIONS

Psoriatic arthritis is a disease that has remained in the shadow and far too few people know about it. Beauty queen Sofia Lovi Ramasamy seeks to enlighten the public by unveiling the daily challenges a psoriatic arthritis patient has to face.

- Lorraine Chai

When you meet Sofia, it’s hard to miss the beaming smile she wears on her face. I tell her that it’s unimaginable what this warm lady has gone through and still is going through. She giggles at my comment and exclaims, “That’s why I earned myself the subsidiary title of Miss Optimistic in Miss Amazing Malaysia!”

Crowned as the first winner of Miss Amazing Malaysia, a beauty pageant for physically challenged women, Sofia’s ultimate wish is to bring psoriatic arthritis to light. “I was diagnosed with psoriasis at age 12. I didn’t know much about it at the time. I thought it was just a skin problem,” she begins. Psoriasis – a skin condition that causes rapid build-up of skin cells, leading to scaling and red itchy patches – is never a widely discussed disorder. When she turned 14, engaging in sports became a torture. “It started with just my toes. Eventually, moving my joints hurt so much, let alone doing sports. It was frustrating and devastating. I really loved taking part in sports but my chance to enjoy it was snatched away from me.” At such a young age, Sofia thought the symptoms would go away with time, like a bout of cold. And then she learnt that was not the case.

HURDLES TO OVERCOME