Miss USA 2020, 69th edition of Miss USA, is all set to be held on 9th November 2002 where fifty-one stunning ladies will compete for the national crown and an opportunity to represent USA at Miss Universe 2020. Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst will crown her successor at the end of the event finale.
Allyshia Gupta was crowned Miss California USA 2020 on 26th January 2020 at Arcadia Performing Arts Center in Arcadia. She is 25-years-old and in a recent interview has revealed about being diagnosed with Lyme disease. She explained that she was two-years-old when she was diagnosed with the disease and this was the first time, she was opening about it because she feared being seen in a lesser light. Allyshia who is one of the front runners for the title has been performing exceptionally well at the competition and hopes that she would be the one to take the crown home and represent the USA at Miss Universe 2020 stage.
The diva had further mentioned that she doesn’t want to be labelled as disabled or incapable of carrying out basic tasks. She also added that people around her advised her not to speak about her disease as they believed that speaking about it would put her in a bad light but she decided to open about her struggle to help someone going through the same thing.
She explained, "It was something that I wanted to withhold. I didn't want my employer to think, 'Oh, I'm not going to hire her because she might potentially be disabled or unable to do this. I was advised by people to not share this because 'you don't want it to give you a bad rep.”
Allyshia explained that Lyme disease is an uncommon disease and is complicated; it is an infectious disease caused by the Borrelia bacterium which is spread by ticks. She stated that her mother noticed a rash on her forehead after which she was diagnosed with the disease and it was aggressive on her body that it ultimately caused her to suffer paralysis on face and she had to be under coma for a day to curb inflammation. Later, the disease returned when she was 8-years-old as post-treatment Lyme.
"The biggest thing that I hated to hear is, 'You don't look sick,' because people with Lyme don't necessarily show it on the outside. But they don't see the downside. They don't see the mornings where you're so achy that it's physically disabling to step out of bed,” added Allyshia. The diva also stated that when her brother passed away when she was 16-years-old in an accident, she started to notice that situations like these would trigger the symptoms. Due to this, she started to avoid anything that would trigger her disease and had a very different experience in college compared to the other students.
"It has taken years to accept that, and be cognizant and aware of when those peaks and valleys occur for me. And there are still times where I can be in bed for days straight after doing everything right,” she explained.
The diva wants to use the platform to let her story reach out to the ones dealing with the same struggles and is confident with right education and awareness she would be able to help someone. She also is the founder of ‘Care to Create’ which is a non-profit organization that sells art to benefit specific causes. She is on a mission to raise awareness to ugly challenges through beautiful paintings and has urged all her followers and friends to pain the world in bright colours to make it a beautiful place to live.
The diva mentioned "I think I've done myself and Lyme disease a disservice by not owning fully what I'm going through. Now that I've proven myself and done something as big as winning Miss California, there's never been a more appropriate time. I feel like I'm at the place where I'm just so comfortable in who I am and my capabilities. It's the perfect storm.” She is now partnering with the Bay Area Lyme Foundation.
She has earned advance level qualifications with the highest honours in Philosophy of Religion and Science, Psychology and Business. She later returned to the United States and attended Auburn University where she graduated with a degree in Business Administration.