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Home › Mom of the Month

Eva La Rue

By Donna Smith

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a mother who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a woman and a mother. Above all, the Mom of the Month is dedicated to her children. Rich or poor, famous or not, she shines as an example of what mothering is all about.

Long-time fans of All My Children know her best as Maria Santos. If you're a fan of CSI: Miami, you know her as Natalia Boa Vista, a lab specialist with a knack for grant writing. Or maybe you've seen her on The George Lopez Show, as co-host for E! Style Network's Modern Girls Guide to Life or weekend anchor for TV's Extra! But for Eva La Rue, her favorite job is being mom to her daughter, Kaya. Unfortunately, she also has a permanent role as an allergy suffer – and has since childhood.

"I've suffered from allergies for 12 years," says La Rue, who is also a supporter of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Learn The Signs. Act Early" campaign and recent recipient of a Gracie Allen Award by the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television. "My allergies became noticeably worse when I moved back to California after living in New York off and on while filming All My Children."

La Rue is allergic to horse hair, pollen spores and the grasses in California. "My doctor said I'm insanely allergic to this state," she says. "When I moved to New York City to do All My Children, I had my first bout with seasonal allergies. I'd walk through Central Park during the spring and would find myself sneezing and my face would get itchy."

As people with allergies know, sometimes common activities can cause a reaction. "I was unable to walk through a park during the fall and spring because of the intense pollen," La Rue says. "Almost two years ago when I moved to California I developed a persistent cough that lasted over a year. After several doctor visits, I recently saw a pulmonary specialist who gave me an allergy test. It turns out I was severely allergic to six different grasses in California. The bumps on my back where they administered the allergens didn't go down for three days!"

Because of the nature of her work, La Rue had to be careful with what types of medications she used. "Being on a soap, I'd often have to memorize up to 50 pages of lines a day, so it was important for me to be alert and focused and not let my allergies get in the way," she says. "Now, the only thing that does not make me drowsy and gives me 24-hour relief is Claritin."

Eva La Rue's Advice for Allergy Sufferers

Don't let allergies hold you back from doing the things you love most, like spending time outdoors with your kids, La Rue says. "You should see a doctor and take a medication that doesn't make you drowsy or put you in an allergy fog." Here are some other tips La Rue has learned over the years:

  • Take a shower and change clothes when you get home, since pollen can collect on your clothes and hair.
  • When driving, keep the windows rolled up and set the air on re-circulate to keep outdoor allergens from coming inside.

"Allergies can be debilitating, and if you act early, it ensures that you will enjoy your day," she says.

Her Role as Mom

Another motivation to be alert and not drowsy is her 5-year-old daughter, Kaya, who La Rue describes as "Little Miss Personality" and "the Energizer Bunny Princess." "She is so smart," La Rue says. "I'm amazed at what an old soul she is. She really keeps me on my toes."

La Rue says watching Kaya's personality grow and develop is the best part about being a mom. "She's the most fascinating person I've ever met," she says. "And the hardest part about being a mom is constantly having to work on yourself to make sure you are the person you want your child to follow in the footsteps of. I love that there is a much 'bigger picture' in my life now. I don't sweat the small stuff. Being a mother has given me patience and the ability to put my daughter's needs and wants ahead of my own."

Mom and daughter enjoy playing outside together, and have just started planting an herb garden. And Kaya, who does not suffer from allergies, did inherit her mom's love of horses. "I love horseback riding and Kaya just started taking lessons – she's really good at it!" La Rue says. "We also love to go swimming and go on big travel adventures. We're having fun creating family traditions of our own. In fact, Easter is now going to be celebrated at my home every year with my big extended family and friends and of course any widows and orphans I can find."



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