Hoping to build ALS awareness, this Cypress woman will take the pageant stage for the first time – Houston Chronicle

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Lluvia Alzate is competing in the Miss Texas USA pageant to raise awareness for ALS, a neurological disease her mother was diagnosed with in 2019.

Lluvia Alzate is competing in the Miss Texas USA pageant to raise awareness for ALS, a neurological disease her mother was diagnosed with in 2019.

Lluvia Alzate is competing in the Miss Texas USA pageant to raise awareness for ALS, a neurological disease her mother was diagnosed with in 2019.

Lluvia Alzate is competing in the Miss Texas USA pageant to raise awareness for ALS, a neurological disease her mother was diagnosed with in 2019.

Lluvia Alzate is competing in the Miss Texas USA pageant to raise awareness for ALS, a neurological disease her mother was diagnosed with in 2019.

Lluvia Alzate is competing in the Miss Texas USA pageant to raise awareness for ALS, a neurological disease her mother was diagnosed with in 2019.

Lluvia Alzate is competing in the Miss Texas USA pageant to raise awareness for ALS, a neurological disease her mother was diagnosed with in 2019.

Four years ago, Fanny Alzates life changed forever.

What began as muscle spasms and slurred speech in 2018 turned into a diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, in 2019. With her body slowly going into full paralysis, Fannys daughter Lluvia Alzate became her caregiver, with Lluvia assuming guardianship of her younger brother and sister.

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As her symptoms progressed, she started losing her voice and all movement. Right now, shes pretty much completely paralyzed, Lluvia said. When you are diagnosed with ALS you basically have zero hope. Its a 100 percent terminal disease so there is no drug out there that helps that much. Its not like its a new disease. More people are actually being diagnosed over the years.

Since those four years have passed, Lluvia has dedicated her time to ALS awareness in honor of Fanny. With the Miss Texas USA pageant coming to Houston this July, Lluvia wants to take the stage to make the world more aware of the neurodegenerative disease.

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Miss Texas USA 2022 will be her first pageant. However, Lluvia said she has been practicing for three months to walk the stage, become pageant ready and discuss the facts about ALS during the interview portion.

Whenever the opportunity for Miss Texas came up Ive never done a pageant or anything like this before in my life, so its completely new I knew it would be great for giving ALS a platform, she said. My main goal with this movement would be to have a viral sensation that we could use to come together as a community and raise funds. My ultimate goal is to exceed even the ALS ice bucket challenge.

Lluvia recalls her mothers diagnosis and her own confusion and ignorance about ALS, immediately Googling the disease. Lluvia hopes to use the Miss Texas USA stage to inform other people about the disease so they will not only be prepared, but look for ways to help.

At the beginning I was pretty nervous because it was a whole new experience, she said. As weve gotten closer to it, Im less nervous. Im more at peace and more confident than ever with myself. Im pretty excited to see what happens. At the end of the day, Im going to give it my all.

Lluvia has also started a group, Vive La Vida, for caregivers and families involved with ALS dedicated to a cure. The group also shares experiences and resources for people with ALS, as well as caregiver advice. When Fanny was diagnosed with ALS, Lluvia had to reduce her class load at University of Houston to part-time while working to replace the funds that came with her mothers job.

Lluvia recently graduated from UH in May with a degree in business finance and works in real estate, but she considers raising money for ALS and gaining community involvement her real goal.

This would be an amazing time to shine a light on ALS and try to spread the word and be a true advocate, she said.

With the pageant less than a week away, Lluvia said she wants to give it her all, not only for Fanny but for people experiencing ALS without information and their family members. She hopes to connect with families going through the same situation.

When you know that youre not alone and there are other people out there going through this situation, you dont have to stay quiet, she said. You can speak up on when you need help or when you need somebody to talk to.

For more information on Fanny and Lluvia, visit http://www.lluviaalzate.com.

chevall.pryce@chron.com

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Hoping to build ALS awareness, this Cypress woman will take the pageant stage for the first time - Houston Chronicle