This 17-Year-Old Girl With Cancer Made A Powerful Statement We All Need To Hear

17-year-old Andrea Sierra Salazar was recently diagnosed with stage 2 nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma. Andrea, who lives in Texas, lost her hair due to chemotherapy, but she has a special message that everyone needs to hear.

“Cancer doesn’t stop me being a princess,” Andrea stated. After looking at these stunning photos, we couldn’t agree more.

Initially when Andrea lost her hair because of the chemotherapy treatment, she found herself feeling self-conscious. The teen recalled, “Before chemotherapy I had always been a confident person, so when my hair started to fall out I would look in the mirror and I wouldn’t feel that confident about myself.”

In an effort to help Andrea rediscover her beauty, her mom contacted various modeling agencies and shared Andrea’s story. Photographer Gerardo Garmendia felt moved by the story, and wanted to be able to help Andrea re-capture her true beauty.

Garmendia shared the pictures on his site, and posted one of the photos on Twitter that has already been liked more than 200k times.

“It’s not only about my outside beauty, it’s about the inside. That’s what really inspired the photoshoot without the wig,” Andrea explained.

She continued, “This journey has taught me to love and accept myself regardless of the way I look,” Andrea wrote on Facebook. “The hair on someone’s head doesn’t define who they are. All girls are princesses, and today I feel beautiful inside and out.”

Check out the gallery below to see the incredible photo shoot with Andrea Sierra Salazar.

We wish Andrea and her family all the best, and appreciate Andrea’s bravery to share her inspirational message.

[H/T Bored Panda]