Zeanah’s Niece Vies for Miss America

Elois Zeanah will be watching the Miss America pageant this weekend with more than the usual interest.

The Thousand Oaks city councilwoman will be cheering for her niece, 24-year-old Nicole Johnson, competing against 50 other women for the crown.

Johnson, who lives in Roanoke, Va., became Miss Virginia earlier this year after overcoming considerable difficulty. Suffering from an extremely rare form of diabetes, Johnson must wear a beeper-sized insulin pump. She will even wear it around her waist under her evening gown during the pageant.

To Johnson, the fact that the current Miss America, Heather Whitestone, also suffers from a disability, has been a considerable source of inspiration. Whitestone is deaf.

Johnson, who is pursuing a career in television journalism, also serves as the celebrity spokeswoman for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and as Virginia’s state spokeswoman for the American Diabetes Assn.

“If there ever was a reason for me to compete, diabetes is it,” Johnson said. “Sixteen million people need a role model.”

Zeanah says that her niece’s accomplishments have made her proud not only for her family but also for the younger generation.

“I’m certainly personally thrilled for Nicole as my niece, but I am also proud of her as a young woman who to me is already a role model,” Zeanah said. “Whether or not she achieves this one-in-a-million chance, all of these young women are already role models for what they’ve done. They’re all ambassadors for young people.”