A teenage beauty queen who almost died when her appendix burst has vowed to “embrace” her scars by proudly displaying them on the catwalk. Paige Loren Cannon James, 18, was crowned Miss Merseyside shortly before she collapsed at home last November.
She was rushed to Royal Liverpool Hospital and underwent a five-hour live-saving operation to remove her appendix, which had burst in two places. The personal trainer was told by doctors she was lucky to be alive, but she would be left with a 4cm-long scar on her stomach.
After two weeks in hospital Paige returned home but, despite her ordeal, she vowed to pursue her dream of competing in beauty pageants. Next month she will jet off to Vietnam where she will represent England in the Miss Charm beauty contest. And the brave teen has vowed to “embrace” her scars by showing them off when she parades in the swimsuit round.
She said: “My scars are still quite sore and noticeable. I have one on my tummy button and two on my stomach, but when competing in Vietnam I am just going to embrace them.
“They are part of me now, so I need to show that. For the competition I’ll be wearing a stylish cut-out bikini, so some of my scars will be visible.
“I am nervous for the competition, but I am just going to do my best and show people that I can do well despite my scars. You shouldn’t let anything stop you.”
Paige first noticed a pain in her ribs about three weeks before her appendix burst, but brushed it off as a pulled muscle. As the pain continued to get worse she went to see her doctor who, after tests, sent her straight to the hospital.
Paige arrived at the hospital on November 19 and stayed there for two weeks. Due to short staffing levels she had to wait 50 hours for treatment, meaning she wasn’t able to get her operation on November 22 and by this point her appendix had ruptured, making the infection life-threatening.
Paige, of West Derby, Liverpool, said: “I had to wait for a bed because the hospital was so crowded and the hospital was understaffed. I had to have multiple drips, antibiotics and blood tests.
“The whole experience of appendicitis was dreadful. The medicine made me feel awful and wiped out and after my operation, which I was put to sleep for, I woke up in a room on my own and all I wanted was my mum and dad.
“I started crying and I was sick so many times as the morphine they gave me was very strong. After my surgery I remained in hospital for a week to recover and a bag was attached to my stomach to get all the remaining infection out of me.
“It was life-threatening and very scary. I want to share my story so people will get their symptoms checked out sooner. Even if you think it’s nothing, get it checked by a doctor as it could be life-threatening.”
Paige first started competing in pageants aged 13 and since then has won the Miss English Rose and Miss Junior Rose title in 2017, the Miss British Isles 2021 competitions and modelled in London Fashion Week twice. She was crowned the winner of the Dentakay Brightest smile round at the Miss England semi-final in July 2022 and was automatically crowned Miss Merseyside and fast-tracked into the final competition.
Although Paige didn’t place in the Miss England Final, she was scouted for the international pageant held in Vietnam this February. Paige will fly to Vietnam from Manchester Airport on February 2 and she will spend two weeks travelling across the country representing England and taking part in heat rounds. She will compete against girls from 40 different countries and the Miss Charm winner will be crowned on February 16.
Paige added: “I’m a little nervous to go, but I am mostly excited. I am so thankful to be given the experience and I can’t wait to meet people from all over the world.
“I can’t wait to learn about different cultures and meet all of the girls. I want to show off my culture and show what is good about my country. I don’t think it’s really sunk in that I’m going and it really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
