I created a successful business and reached the Miss Great Britain finals despite a rare brain condition
A South Shields mum-of-two has overcome a rare brain condition to reach the finals of Miss Great Britain 2024.
Megan Patrick, from South Shields, has reached the finals of Miss Great Britain 2024, where she will complete for the crown on Friday, October 18.
Reaching the finals of the competition is a landmark achievement for the 34-year-old, who has been battling a rare brain condition, which almost caused her to lose her sight, since she was 15.
Megan, who is mum to eight-year-old Theo and three-year-old Saffia, was initially misdiagnosed with a brain tumour before doctors ruled that she was actually suffering from intracranial hypertension - a condition that causes pressure to build up around the brain.
Despite taking medication to combat the illness, it had a big impact on Megan’s studying for a dance degree, as she dreamed of working towards a role in the West End, and resulted in her filing for insolvency at the age of 21.
Megan then spent the next ten years transforming her life and she is now the founder of her own award-winning business, Brow Wow.
The mum-of-two has spoken about how she felt when her dream of becoming a West End dancer ended and her pride at building a successful business.
She said: “I was diagnosed when I was a teenager but I didn’t want it to stop me from dancing so I just pushed through with medication but I kept relapsing and having to spend time in hospital.
“I had to get a loan to cover the cost of my degree at dance school so I was living pay check to pay check but the most awful thing for me was that I had fought through so much and in the end couldn’t continue.
“I never thought that I would get to where I am but looking back, dancing obviously wasn’t the path for me and this is what I was meant to do.
“Even though dancing didn’t work out for me, I wanted to show that I could still be successful and it feels good knowing that I’ve built Brow Wow from absolutely nothing.
“I went from being in a lot of debt to now being in a position where I can help others and give back to the local community.
“This month I’ve just taken on six students in placement roles to help train them and give them an opportunity that I wouldn’t have been able to provide had I not built the business to where it is now.”
In the run up to the Miss Great Britain 2024 finals, Megan has raised almost £1,000 for charities such as Cancer Research, Alex’s Wish and the Chloe & Liam Together Forever Trust.
Megan added: “I sponsored the event last year so that’s how I ended up getting involved in it and then people were telling me to enter.
“In the end, I entered because I wanted to share my story in the hopes that it will help others so I was quite shocked to reach the final and I certainly wasn’t expecting it.
“I’m really grateful that I’ve got this far and had the opportunity to do it so I’m now really looking forward to it.”
As well as competing in Miss Great Britain 2024, Megan is also preparing to take her business to the next level as she is starting to offer franchise opportunities across the UK.
If you are interested in a franchise opportunity, you can contact her via https://www.facebook.com/browwowbar/ or https://www.instagram.com/browwowbar/.