Gilford pageant winner has links to Red Sox

Sixteen-year-old Megan Lyman, a junior at Gilford High School, and Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Veritek have a connection. Both are athletic, both have overcome difficulties — and both want to offer an encouraging word and a helping hand to sick people who need them.

As a major league professional athlete, Veritek has doubtless overcome his share of physical and emotional challenges to lead his team to two World Championships in the last four years.

Lyman has overcome her own challenges before recently being named this year’s MIss New Hampshire Outstanding Teen.

“On Sunday, February 17,when her name was announced as the fourth Miss NH Outstanding Teen, she started to cry,” according to statement released by pageant officials.

Some of those tears may have been in relief at how far the young woman has come.

It was only a few years ago that Dr. Tom Rock of Gilford found a bump on Lyman’s shoulder that turned out to be malignant.

“He thought it was just an abscess so he took it off and sent it out for analysis,” the teenager recalled. “The end of it was that it was cancer.”

Lyman said the doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital did not know how to deal with her situation at first.

“It’s very rare,” she explained. “I was the only documented case of a girl under 50 having this. The only people who’d had it were males over 50 — and they were all terminal.”

Lyman was distressed about her condition, but she was also disturbed about the idea of never being able to dance again.

“I have been dancing since I was three,” she said. “I got involved with pageants through one of my dance teachers, Emily Hughes, who was Miss New Hampshire last year.” (Hughes, of Gilmanton, was also a Gilford High School student.)

The youngster’s dancing interests were also fostered by Aaron Tolson, a former feature dancer with “Riverdance” who now operates a studio in Manchester.

“He made me love it,” Lyman laughed.

It was after five surgical operations that the doctors concluded they removed all of the cancerous tissue in Lyman’s body.

“The last one was supposed to be one hour but wound up being five hours,” she said.

But it was while she was in the Boston hospital that the Gilford girl met Veritek. “There’s a program there with the Red Sox called ‘V-tek’ and Jason Veritek and his wife (Karen) come in before every home game. He visits with the kids — and, of course, I’m a big Red Sox fan. It made me so excited and I got to feeling so much better.”

“Tek”, as he’s known to his teammates, was able to offer some special encouragement.

“He said, watch me and when you see me wink tonight, it’s for you,” Lyman recalled. “That would get you all excited. Or he would say, if I hit a home run tonight it’s for you.”

Just thinking about the athlete dedicating his efforts to inspiring sick children squashed any self-pity and ignited a flame in Lyman.

“I guess it got me thinking about how I could help some people,” she said.

During the three-day pageant competition, Lyman won the preliminary evening gown award, the Miss Congeniality award and the overall talent award when she tap-danced to Princes’ "Baby I'm a Star” — a performance that was choreographed by teacher Tolson.

Lyman will likely continue dancing but the platform she chose for her one-year reign closely is related to her own trials — and to Veritek.

It’s called "Beating the Odds - Positive Attitude.” She wants to speak with sick children and groups about keeping a positive attitude in order to beat cancer. She also hopes to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation on a regular basis.

And she’s already fulfilling her ideals.

On Saturday Lyman is scheduled to visit a 10-year-old girl who’s ill and has a medical tube in her stomach. And that girl is discouraged about perhaps never being able to dance again.

“Her name is Megan and she’s a dancer,” Lyman laughed.

So the Gilford teen is going to encourage someone just a few years younger than her about “Beating the Odds – Positive Attitude.”

You have the sense that she’ll do a good job.

Besides her crown, Lyman received $1,550 in scholarship money. She will also be competing at the Fourth Annual Miss American Outstanding Teen competition in Orlando, Fla. at the end of August for a possible $35,000 scholarship.

“More than just a beauty pageant, Miss NH Outstanding Teen puts most of the emphasis on talent, interview, fitness and volunteerism,” according to the pageant statement. “The contestants were also judged on evening wear and scholastic achievement.”

Megan is the daughter of Jack and Liz Lyman.