Model and cancer survivor Mama Cāx is a worthy fashion icon. After being diagnosed with bone and lung cancer at the age of 14, she had her leg amputated at the hip. Now, well into her 20’s, she has a steady career in fashion and has even walked the catwalk at New York Fashion Week.
“There are very few people with disabilities in the fashion industry let alone the catwalk so when the opportunity came up I didn’t hesitate,” she said in an interview with Create & Cultivate. “I knew it would be a way to break barriers and help open doors for others by showing it is possible.”
“People often assume that I’m an extremely positive person; the truth is I’m quite the pessimist,” she added. “But I’m very goal-oriented and ambitious. I think what often keeps me going is knowing that I can’t change the past and the future is not guaranteed, therefore I have no choice but to make the best of the present.”
In addition to being a model, she’s also taken to wheelchair basketball, rock climbing, and running, proving that she’s indeed making the best out of the present. Check out her Instagram page for a daily dose of swag.
