Miss Teen USA contestant who overcame childhood homelessness killed in horrific Florida crash
An 18-year-old Miss Teen USA pageant queen who survived childhood homelessness and an abusive mother was killed in a car crash, according to reports.
Kadance Fredericksen, a student at Baker School in Okaloosa County, died after the car she was driving collided head-on with a tractor-trailer on a highway around 1.30 p.m. Monday, WKRG reported.
The other driver suffered minor injuries, the outlet reported.
In 2024, she was given the title of Miss Okaloosa County Teen USA.
She had just received acceptances to nine colleges and planned on becoming a veterinarian, her family told WKRG.
Miss Florida and Teen Florida USA Family released a statement in the wake of the tragedy: 'Our pageant community has lost a beautiful soul - one who was a true light in this world. She was ambitious, driven, kind, and a leader among her pageant sisters.'
The statement continued: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and all who are mourning this devastating loss. May we honor her memory by carrying forward the light she so effortlessly shared with the world and our Florida pageant community. Forever our queen.'
'Kadance was a beacon of light in our community, known for her compassion, tireless advocacy for children in need, and unwavering dedication to making a difference,' Baker School Principal Michael Martello told WEAR-TV a statement, referring to her advocacy work.
She founded Kada's Promise in 2017, which provides teddy bears and blankets to children in foster care, homeless shelters, abuse shelters and hospitals. Her inspiration for the program stemmed from her firsthand experience. During her childhood, Fredericksen's mother was abusive and she struggled with hunger and homelessness while 'being groomed by her biological mother's husband,' a statement on the Kada's Promise website reads.
'During many dark times in my early childhood, the only thing that I could call my own or that made me feel safe was a single teddy bear that I received as a gift,' she said.
Her biological father and stepmother gained custody at some point and in 2017 her stepmother formally adopted her.
She wrote: 'I am so blessed that my pain was temporary and now I get to use my story to temporarily take someone else's pain away."
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