Ecuadorian diagnosed with rare disease competing in Miss Universe

Mara Theme, Miss Universe Ecuador, is expected to represent her country at the next Miss Universe pageant in Mexico. With grace and determination, she sees this platform as an opportunity to shine a light on Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease she was diagnosed with a few years ago. Her journey to overcoming personal challenges aims to inspire others to persevere despite their difficulties.

​​​​Hashimoto’s disease is a rare condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland, affecting various body systems and causing multiple symptoms. For Mara, the most noticeable symptom was hair loss, which led her to wear wigs.

In a recent interview with The UniverseMara shared her story of discovery and acceptance. “My mother noticed that I was losing too much hair. I thought I had always had little hair, but she told me it was on another level. She made me take various tests, some more in-depth than others,” she said.

In this candid conversation, the Guayaquil native explained her decision to go public with her condition. “I didn’t want one day my wig would fall off and people would find out. I preferred to be honest and say it. Besides, one day I went out with long hair, then shorter; “It doesn’t make any sense. And I thought, if I’m honest, maybe I can inspire other women because there are a lot of prejudices against wigs.” she added.

Mara, who was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease in 2018, revealed why she chose to speak out about it only recently. She emphasized that she needed to demonstrate deep self-acceptance before going public with her condition. “Everything, this time I tried to understand it. It’s a condition that I didn’t know how to improve. Yes, it was obviously bad, but I also tried to hide it. Everyone puts masks and tries to hide her imperfections I thought, “Maybe they won’t accept me that way,” but the jury could also have said, “We don’t want a girl who doesn’t.” has no hair’, thank God, today what matters is your essence in everything, and that’s what they’re looking for,” she said with emotion.

When asked if she was ready to be seen without a wig, Mara admitted that she hadn’t yet, but was thinking about the best time to do so after a long personal journey. “I have a lot of videos like this, but I’m thinking about when to upload them. I want it to be an organic moment when I show what my hair looks like without a wig. It has affected my self-esteem a lot , but I do everything possible to represent my country better,” she said.

Mara Topic’s courage in sharing her story and her dedication to raising awareness about Hashimoto’s disease are powerful examples of resilience and authenticity. Taking to the Miss Universe stage, she represents Ecuador and the many people battling autoimmune diseases around the world, demonstrating that beauty truly comes from within.