With her sparkling tiara, polka-dotted dress and beaming smile, 8-year-old Alana Little, a second grade student at Moore Elementary School, looks every bit a princess, although her fairy tale cant be found in storybooks.

Alana or simply Lana, as she is known by her family and friends was crowned Little Miss Wheelchair Texas 2012 on March 24 at the Crowne Plaza in Houston, selected by the Miss Wheelchair Texas Foundation for her inspiring story.

That night at the gala, Lana got a very long standing ovation for her story, said Teri Little, Lanas maternal grandmother, who has helped raise the young girl since she was 16 months old. Lanas been through a lot. Shes a tough cookie, that one.

As the result of an extremely rare genetic disorder, worsened by the effects of drug and alcohol exposure in utero, Lana was diagnosed with ataxia-telangiectasia, or A-T, at 23 months. The disease combines the worst symptoms of muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis and immune deficiencies.

Those with A-T are 1,000 times more likely to get cancer. There are an estimated 500 children in the U.S. living with A-T today, but this number is too small for pharmaceutical companies to conduct research for a cure.

It attacks the cerebellum, and Lanas cerebellum has been destroyed by the disease already. If we were to let Lana walk, she would more than likely fall down immediately or wobble like shes drunk, Terri said.

Lana has relied on a wheelchair for part-time mobility since she was 2, primarily to cope with the excessive fatigue that sends her to bed by 5:30 p.m. each day. She made the transition to full-time wheelchair dependence this past summer.

As Little Miss Wheelchair Texas, Lana will make public appearances at Texas Childrens Hospital, MD Anderson and a special needs program with the National Dance Institute. Her year-long service will serve as a means to bring light to children living with paralyzing diseases like A-T.

We were just so happy for her and happy we were going to be able to educate more people about the disease, said Elizabeth Casey, Lanas aunt and part-time aide.

As part of her term with the crown, Lana and her family have started the I Can, Just Watch Me initiative, which seeks to spread an empowering message about the abilities, rather than the disabilities, of children with special needs. Children are photographed with a sign of the slogan, and the images are shared online along with the childs name, age and diagnosis.

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Cypress resident crowned Little Miss Wheelchair Texas