'You make Texas proud': Abbott wishes Ms. Wheelchair Texas luck in national competition

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott played host to Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA 2021 Whitney Lavender at the Capitol in Austin on July 8, a week before she represents the state in the national competition.

In addition to representing the Lone Star State, Lavender is also representing her native Burleson County at the upcoming Ms. Wheelchair USA competition in Ohio from July 16-17, the Burleson County Tribune reported.

"You make Texas proud. Good luck at the national competition," Abbott said on Twitter.

Lavender, 39, a mother of four, was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome after a fall at her son’s school, the Tribune said. It is rare and has no cure.

Three months later, it had settled into her right leg. A surgeon told her amputation was necessary above the knee, the Tribune reported.

“So, on April 20, 2020, I went into the hospital, alone, because of COVID,” she told the Tribune.

As she underwent medical procedures and learned to cope with complex regional pain syndrome, she began efforts to gain attention to rare diseases. She applied to be Ms. Wheelchair Texas USA as part of that work, KBTX said.

“So doing something like this it’s just like a silver lining amidst all of the yuck that our family has been through in the past three-and-a-half years,” Lavender told KBTX.

Complex regional pain syndrome most often affects an arm or a leg with pain disproportionate to the initial injury, the newspaper reported.

Though the pain stopped her from initial attempts to walk on a prosthetic leg, that did not stop Lavender from seeing herself in a positive light. She retains her self-confidence and told the Tribune that she still looks at herself in the mirror and sees a beautiful, strong and capable woman staring back.

Lavender kept her love of the outdoors as she hunted and fished with her dad as a child. And she shares her love of Ultimate Fighting Championship and mixed martial arts gained from time spent with her family watching bouts on TV, the newspaper said.

Lavender hopes to inspire young girls and women everywhere, KBTX said.

“I love our state!! I feel immensely blessed to be able to represent it,” Lavender said in a tweet.