Beauty Queen Dies at 35, 9 Years After Being Diagnosed with Colon Cancer

Andrea Andrade, a California beauty queen and community volunteer, has died at 35 — nearly nine years after doctors diagnosed her with colon cancer.

Andrade died on Jan. 16, following a battle that began in 2017 when she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer, the Fresno Bee and Your Central Valley reported, citing comments from her husband, Chris Wilson.

“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,” Wilson wrote in a social media tribute, shared alongside an Instagram carousel honoring her life.

Wilson and Andrade were together for eight years, including two years of marriage, according to the Fresno Bee.

“I was punching above my weight class for sure,” Wilson told the outlet. “I was so surprised she ever gave me a shot. But what I realized really quickly was her authenticity.”

“I fell in love with her soul and what made her who she was: positive, encouraging,” he added. “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’m forever grateful.”

After her diagnosis, Andrade was told she had six months to two years to live, yet she continued pursuing her goals and dedicating time to helping others.

She won five pageant titles — Miss West Coast, Miss Nuestra Belleza USA, Miss Fresno County, Miss Regional West, and Miss California Congeniality — but those close to her said service remained her top priority.

Andrade and Wilson also co-founded “Not All Heroes Wear Capes,” a program inspired by a young boy she met who wore a superhero costume to chemotherapy treatments, Your Central Valley reported.

The couple visited hospitals and organized donations for children and families, efforts frequently documented on Andrade’s social media.

“This time of year is always bitter sweet for me,” Andrade wrote in part in an April 2025 Instagram post. “I love seeing the smiles but I know the pain these children and their families are going through, and it always hurts my heart.”

Wilson told the Fresno Bee that the initiative was deeply meaningful to her. “She said it was one of her most rewarding things of her entire life,” he said, adding that it was a way to bring comfort during difficult moments for families.

According to the Fresno Bee, Andrade had gone into remission, but the cancer later returned, spreading to her reproductive system and advancing to stage 4.

Her condition worsened in October. After spending the holidays with family, she was hospitalized shortly after Christmas.

In a December 2017 interview with Inside Edition, Andrade spoke about the impact of her diagnosis on her loved ones, saying, “I look at my parents. I am thinking, ‘I am their only daughter,’ and I think, ‘What would they do without me?’ ”

Wilson told Your Central Valley that her resilience continued until the end. “She never, never stopped fighting,” he said. “She was just so inspirational to so many people.”

In addition to her husband, Andrade is survived by her parents, an older brother, Junior, and two younger brothers, Eric and Jose, the Fresno Bee reported.

Wilson said funeral services will be held at St. Anthony’s in Reedley, with a public viewing scheduled for Feb. 4, which he shared on social media.