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\nA California beauty queen has died nine years after being diagnosed with colon cancerDoctors initially gave Andrea Andrade six months to two years to liveWhen she wasn\u2019t competing in pageants and winning titles, the 35-year-old helped children in her community who had also been diagnosed with cancer<\/p>\n
A California beauty queen has died at the age of 35, nine years after doctors diagnosed her with colon cancer.\n<\/p>\n
Andrea Andrade died on Jan. 16, after she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2017, the Fresno Bee<\/a> and Your Central Valley<\/a> reported with both outlets speaking to her husband, Chris Wilson.\n<\/p>\n \u201cMy eternal love. I know this isn\u2019t goodbye. I\u2019ll see you on the other side baby. Keep your heavenly arms around me, I love you mi amor,\u201d Wilson wrote on social media, his Instagram Carousel<\/a> serving as a tribute.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The couple spent eight years together, two as husband and wife, per the Fresno Bee.\n<\/p>\n Andrea Andrade.<\/p>\n Andrea Andrade\/Instagram<\/p>\n \u201cI was punching above my weight class for sure,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cI was so surprised she ever gave me a shot. But what I realized really quickly was her authenticity.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cI fell in love with her soul and what made her who she was: positive, encouraging. I was her biggest fan and she was my biggest fan. She gave me confidence. She believed in me. And for her to love me the way she did, I\u2019m forever grateful,\u201d he added.\n<\/p>\n When Andrade was diagnosed, doctors gave her six months to two years to live. She lived for nine more years, all while accomplishing her goals and helping others.\n<\/p>\n The beauty queen won five pageants \u2014 Miss West Coast, Miss Nuestra Belleza USA, Miss Fresno County, Miss Regional West and Miss California Congeniality. However, giving back was always at the top of her to-do list.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Andrade and Wilson founded \u201cNot All Heroes Wear Capes,\u201d a program that was inspired by a young boy she met who wore a superhero costume to his chemotherapy treatments, per Your Central Valley.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The husband and wife would visit different hospitals, spreading cheer to children, as documented on her social media.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cThis time of year is always bitter sweet for me. I love seeing the smiles but I know the pain these children and their families are going through, and it always hurts my heart,\u201d Andrade wrote, in part, in an April 2025 Instagram post<\/a>. \u201cThis year I broke my own record, I promised myself I wouldn\u2019t cry, I lasted a whole 2 minutes then I was bawling like a baby!\u201d\n<\/p>\n The video showed the couple shopping for goods to distribute to kids at a hospital, where they were joined by characters like Bluey and the mascot for the Fresno Grizzlies baseball team.\n<\/p>\n \u201cShe said it was one of her most rewarding things of her entire life,\u201d Wilson told the Fresno Bee of the program. \u201cShe felt it was a great way to put a smile on families\u2019 faces during what had to be challenging times.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Andrade had gone into remission, but the cancer later reappeared in her reproductive system and reached stage 4, per the Fresno Bee.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Andrea Andrade.<\/p>\n Andrea Andrade\/Instagram<\/p>\n Things took a turn in October. She spent the holidays with her family, but just after Christmas, Andrade was admitted to the hospital.\n<\/p>\n During an interview with Inside Edition<\/a> in December 2017, Andrade thought about how her diagnosis might affect her loved ones, saying, \u201cI look at my parents. I am thinking, \u2018I am their only daughter,’ and I think, ‘What would they do without me?’ ”\n<\/p>\n The beauty queen also discussed why she chose to follow her \u201clifelong dreams,” despite her diagnosis.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cShe never, never stopped fighting,\u201d Wilson told Your Central Valley. \u201cShe was just so inspirational to so many people.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\n<\/p>\n In addition to her husband, Andrade is survived by her mother and father, older brother Junior and two younger brothers, Eric and Jose, per the Fresno Bee.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Funeral services for Andrade will be held at St. Anthony\u2019s in Reedley, with a viewing open to the public on Feb. 4, Wilson shared<\/a> on social media.\n<\/p>\n