A California beauty queen has died aged 35, nearly a decade after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Andrea Andrade passed away on January 16, nine years after doctors initially gave her six months to two years to live with stage three colon cancer.
Her husband, Chris Wilson, paid tribute on Instagram, writing: “My eternal love. I know this isn’t goodbye. I’ll see you on the other side baby.” After her diagnosis in 2017, Andrade won five beauty pageants: Miss West Coast, Miss Nuestra Belleza USA, Miss Fresno County, Miss Regional West and Miss California Congeniality. She also competed for the Miss California crown while undergoing intensive chemotherapy with a port in her chest.
Wilson told the Fresno Bee: “She felt her mission from God was to share her story and help other people. To let it be known that even if you’re diagnosed with something, you can still have an amazing life and pursue your dreams.” The couple founded a programme called Not All Heroes Wear Capes to support children undergoing chemotherapy, visiting hospitals and delivering gifts.
Andrade shared on social media that the charity work was “always bitter sweet for me”. She wrote in April 2025: “I love seeing the smiles but I know the pain these children and their families are going through.” Her last Instagram post celebrated her birthday in November with the caption: “Chapter 35: just getting started, all glory to God.” Tributes have since poured in, with one user writing: “You fought long and hard, you were brave and always so positive.”
