California beauty queen, 35, dies nine years after colon cancer diagnosis

(Web Desk) - A California beauty queen has died aged 35, nearly a decade after she was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Andrea Andrade died January 16, nine years after doctors initially gave her six months to two years to live with her stage three colon cancer diagnosis.

Her husband, Chris Wilson, wrote in a tribute to Andrade on Instagram: “My eternal love. I know this isn’t goodbye. I’ll see you on the other side baby. Keep your heavenly arms around me, I love you mi amor.”

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. During her intensive chemotherapy, she competed in beauty pageants with a chemo port in her chest.

“I felt like I just need to do this now," she told Inside Edition in 2017. "It's been one of my lifelong dreams."

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. Like Andrea did. And it was an honor to be part of that.”

Andrade and Wilson were together for eight years, and married for two.