Woman Battling Colon Cancer Competes In Miss California Pageant

LONG BEACH, CA – More than 100 young women competed in the Miss California USA pageant in Long Beach over the weekend, but one stood out – Andrea Andrade, Miss Fresno, competed while battling a stage 3 colon cancer.

The 27-year-old was diagnosed with the deadly disease eight months ago, and was given six months to two years to live, according to Fox11. She's dreamed of winning a pageant since she was little, so she wanted to compete to try to achieve her goal.

"I try to stay positive every single day, because in my mind I'm going to get out of this," Andrade said, choking back tears. "Despite the fact that the doctors gave me a life timeline, I want to continue to fight. I want to continue to live and experience and achieve every single one of my dreams."

Andrade deals with daily migraines, is unable to sleep laying down, and has a hard time eating. Despite her health complications, when asked to tell a fun fact about herself during the swimsuit competition, she simply said "I'm a fighter."

Photo via Fox11 Youtube Screengrab