By Luke Voogt
Laylah Grace Ross was still waiting to come into the world when her brother suffered febrile convulsions.
Now four-years-old, the Teesdale youngster hopes to win over the judges at Mini Miss Diamond Australia, to thank those who looked after her brother and, more recently, her.
Brydie Ross was pregnant with Laylah Grace when she drove son Xavier, now 8, to University Hospital Geelong as he shook and his eyes rolled with convulsions.
“It was quite frightening but you’ve got to hold it together in that situation,” she said.
“He had a lot of scans on his brain to make sure everything was OK.”
And just over a week ago Laylah Grace visited the children’s ward after jamming her finger in a car door.
“It wasn’t broken, thankfully,” Brydie said.
“Being four it was quite a big scary thing for her being in a hospital.
“[The staff] were so caring and welcoming.”
As “our way of saying thanks”, they chose Barwon Health Foundation as their charity for the pageant.
Brydie began entering her initially “shy” daughter into pageants two years ago to help build her confidence, she said.
“Her confidence has improved since we started – she loves watching all the other girls compete and being on stage.”
According to Brydie, the Australian pageant scene is very “supportive” compared to that in the US.
“All the kids play together and all the older girls help the little girls,” she said.
“It’s all about making sure the kids feel good and come away feeling like they’ve achieved something.”
The Miss and Mr Diamond International Australia prides itself on being “more than just a beauty pageant” by celebrating diversity, having fun and fundraising.
Details: facebook.com/laylahgraceminimiss
