Ms. Wheelchair Alabama ready to advocate on behalf of autism, the disabled

Ms. Wheelchair AlabamaView full sizeMs. Wheelchair Alabama, Joanne Pearson

HUNTSVILLE -- Joanne Pearson's weight struggle began when she was 7.

After decades of failed diets, she decided in 2003 to have gastric bypass surgery. She was 33 and weighed 450 pounds. Within two years, she'd lost almost 300 pounds.

"Life was all good," she said. "I knew there were some risks with the surgery, but I was afraid I would die without it."

She moved from her native Michigan to Huntsville in 2005 with her daughter, Catherine, to be near her parents, who retired here to be near her aunt. She had a job at Camber in Cummings Research Park, "and I couldn't have asked for a better situation."

Then, she began stumbling and tripping. She'd fall down unexpectedly and hurt herself.

Extensive blood tests revealed she wasn't just low on vitamin B-12, "it was nonexistent."

"You need B-12 for spinal health, nervous system health and memory," she said. "The doctor started giving me shots, but my body wouldn't absorb it. And I also had pernicious anemia and iron-deficient anemia."

Pearson, now 40, said myelin - which protects the nerves and is regenerated in most people as they sleep - isn't present in her extremities. The nerve damage prevents her from feeling her feet, calves, hands and the bottom portion of her arms.

In March 2006, she began using a wheelchair. She knows she will depend on it forever.

That's the sad part of the story. Pearson found a way to give it a positive spin, complete with a crown, a sash and a platform to advocate for the disabled.

Last month, Pearson won the title of Ms. Wheelchair Alabama, a pageant that selects its winners based on their achievements and advocacy efforts.

"I've done more with my life since I've been in a wheelchair than I ever did before," she said. "I'm a better person; a better role model as a mother."

Her volunteer work includes the Girl Scouts, Habitat for Humanity and the library at her daughter's school.

Pearson is on the dean's list at Calhoun Community College, where she studies pre-law and computer science. She plans to complete a degree in elementary education at Athens State University, and she wants to eventually teach special education.

The pageant winner's daughter, 9, has autism. Pearson plans to spend the next year talking to people about that, too.

"My message is to not give up," she said. "Hang in there. There is more to you than your disability. You can still do some things, so just focus on that."

Pearson will compete for the national Ms. Wheelchair title this summer in Michigan, "but it doesn't matter to me if I win."

"My daughter is proud of me, and that's all that matters."