Sierra Sandison, 19, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a year ago. But Sandison said that she learned that addressing her ailment one day at a time and keeping a positive attitude was enough for her to overcome the disease.

    Sandison, a Twin Falls resident, was crowned the 2013 Miss Gate City/Miss Pocatello on Feb. 2 at the Mystique Theater in Chubbuck. With her win at the pageant competition, she will be eligible to compete for the title of Miss Idaho in Nampa on July 12-13, a Miss America qualifying competition.

    Sandison couldn’t stop smiling as Emily Hosman, the 2012 Miss Gate City/Pocatello, presented her with the honorary tiara and bouquet of flowers.

    Every contestant is required to have a platform, which is a social or community issue that is important to the contestant and society at large. Sandison’s platform will focus on diabetes education and prevention. Diabetes, a disease that has greatly affected Sandison and her family members, is classified as an “epidemic” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with an estimated 26 million Americans diagnosed.

    The disease is divided into two classifications: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in patients who often require daily injections of insulin due to the body’s failure to produce natural insulin. Type 2 diabetes is when a patient fails to utilize the insulin the body naturally produces, leading to insulin deficiency.

    The disease can serve as a precursor for a large number of other ailments, including cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, or vascular diseases that can lead to amputations of the patient’s extremities.

    “I really want to educate people, especially children, about how to identify the symptoms for Type 1 diabetes and to seek treatment so it can be diagnosed as early as possible, and to encourage those with Type 2 diabetes to make the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes to fight the disease,” Sandison said.

    Sandison currently attends the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, where she is a double major in nursing and biology with a focus on health care.

    Her long-term education and career goal is to receive her doctorate degree in nursing with an emphasis on endocrinology so she can continue to help those afflicted with diabetes in the professional setting. She is relatively new to beauty pageant competitions, with only one other earlier appearance at the Miss Magic Valley competition in Twin Falls.

    Sandison also swept the individual honors at the competition as well, winning the swimsuit portion and the talent portion, where she sang and played a rendition of Sara Bareilles’ hit “Love Song” on the piano.

    Five young women from around the state competed in Saturday night’s competition in Chubbuck. Amy Mireles, a Boise State University student who was originally from Shelley, was the first runner-up. Also competing were Emma Humphries, of Filer, Shanise Biggers, of Twin Falls, and Anna Milder, of Pocatello.

    The competition was hosted by 1990 Miss Pocatello Konni Kendall-Morgan, and featured performances from students at Dance Vibrations, as well as musical performances by Kendall-Morgan, Hosman, and 2013 Miss Gate City Outstanding Teen Heidi Olsen.

    Whitney Woods, the current Miss Idaho who competed in last year’s Miss America competition, was also on hand to provide support and to perform a piano medley.