One brave plus-size model who is currently suffering from a rare ovarian cancer isn't letting her terminal disease get her down. In fact, Elly Mayday hasn't just continued to model but she recently participated in a bold new lingerie campaign where she celebrates her completely natural body–bald head, scars and all!
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Elly, who's just 25-years-old has already had a hysterectomy, lost all her hair, and has a body filled with surgery scars. But even so, she's decided to continue modeling. "In the lingerie industry, it's not something you do," she told ABC News. "It's all about long hair and big breast and arched back. But it's important to show what real women look like underneath their clothes."
She's always referred to herself as "the curvy Canadian," but after months of brutal chemotherapy, Elly is now 40 pounds thinner. The sad thing is she had been trying to pursue a career as a flight attendant before becoming a model. She was just about to get signed with modeling agencies in New York City and Los Angeles just last year and that's when she was diagnosed with cancer.
"I was told it was a cyst so many times, and I just knew deep down in my heart that there was something else wrong," she told the Canadian television network CTV. "It was kind of a point of realization, either 'Do I stop [modeling] now, or do I keep on going and be the person that I was raised to be and the person that I know I am?' "
For most of 2013, Elly was modeling for Forever Yours Lingerie, a company that specializes in sexy lacy undergarments and bras for women with big busts. They carry everything from a B cup to a K cup. She insisted on continuing to model and her campaign was a hit. One ad displays her in a sports bra, matching panties, and with her tummy scars but she still looks gorgeous. The caption reads: "Whether you are training for a marathon … or kicking cancer's butt you need great support."
I am in complete awe of this girl. She's brave, fearless, and inspiring. I hope her incredible self-confidence can inspire other women out there with cancer to realize that even without hair, with scars, and cancer they are still beautiful inside and out!
Images via Forever Yours Lingerie/Facebook
