Inspiring photo shoot of 17-year-old Andrea Sierra goes viral: “Cancer doesn’t stop me being a princess.”
A teenager who survived cancer has sent a positive message aimed at other women who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy.
Andrea Sierra hopes to inspire other cancer survivors who have lost their hair with images from a photo shoot in which she proves you can be bald and beautiful.
The 17-year-old tweeted the photos which have now gone viral with the caption: “Cancer doesn’t stop me being a princess”.
After receiving chemotherapy for stage two lymphoma, Sierra lost her hair and with it, her self-confidence.
Because she has had to take time off school to have treatment, her mother suggested she spend her free time modelling, the Telegraph reported. Salazar has enjoyed modelling since she was 13 years old – but losing her hair knocked her confidence.
“Before chemotherapy, I had always been a confident person,” she said. “So when my hair started to fall out I would look in the mirror and I wouldn’t feel that confident about myself.”
She modeled for a fair few photographers and agencies after her mother set up appointments with them.
On the shoots, she wore a wig to help her feel more confident but during the photo shoot by Gerardo Garmendia she realised that she had no reason to be ashamed of the way she looked, instead, she said “I should be proud” and bravely decided to take a series of photos without her wig.
“It’s not only about my outside beauty, it’s about the inside. That’s what really inspired the photoshoot without the wig.”
Salazar originally took the pictures to inspire other young people with cancer at her local hospital. “I see all these little girls, and you can see it in their faces that they lose all confidence in themselves.”
“I want them to know that your hair or your physical attributes don’t define who you are – what really matters is your inner beauty, the way you treat others, and if you’re a kind person, that shows through.”
So far almost 100,000 people have retweeted the pictures of her smiling in an ornate blue dress, courageously raising the profile on hair loss and cancer in young women.
Cancer doesn't stop me me from being a princess. 👑 pic.twitter.com/39RaDuVwkH
— Andrea Sierra (@sierraandrea99) August 10, 2016
To find out more and get helpful tips on coping with hair loss during cancer treatment read our guides on Hair Loss and Feeling confident.