Former Miss Fresno County Andrea Andrade dies at 35 after colon cancer

Andrea Andrade, a Reedley native who became a visible figure in regional pageants and cancer advocacy, has died at 35 after a nearly decade-long fight with stage 3 colon cancer. She received the diagnosis in 2017 and outlived an initial prognosis of six months to two years, but her passing on January 16 ends a long public struggle that resonated across Fresno County and the Central Valley.

Andrade built a public profile by competing in beauty pageants and pursuing a modeling and acting career while undergoing intensive cancer treatment. After her diagnosis she won a string of titles, including Miss West Coast, Miss Nuestra Belleza USA, Miss Fresno County, Miss Regional West and Miss California Congeniality, and she continued to compete for the Miss California crown. During chemotherapy she reportedly competed with a chemo port in her chest, saying in a 2017 interview, "I felt like I just need to do this now. It's been one of my lifelong dreams."

Beyond pageants, Andrade and her husband Chris Wilson turned their experience into community outreach. The couple founded Not All Heroes Wear Capes, a program that visited hospitals, spent time with children undergoing chemotherapy and dropped off gifts. Wilson, who had been with Andrade for eight years and married to her for two, wrote 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." He also reflected on her mission, saying 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." He added more personal recollections: "I was punching above my weight class for sure," and "I was so surprised she ever gave me a shot. But what I realized really quickly was her authenticity."

Andrade's openness about living with cancer drew attention to two persistent local challenges: the rising incidence of early-onset colon cancer and unequal access to timely diagnosis and treatment in the Central Valley. Her decision to keep performing, modeling and advocating while in treatment made her a familiar face to many families coping with illness in Fresno County. Local pageant circles, community volunteers and families served by hospital pediatric wards will feel the loss directly; the couple’s outreach brought tangible comfort to children receiving chemotherapy.

For Fresno County residents, Andrade’s story is a call to action on multiple fronts: to check symptoms and screening recommendations with primary care providers, to support local programs that help families facing cancer, and to push for better access to diagnostic care in underserved neighborhoods. Her legacy includes the nonprofit work she and Wilson built and the example she set by refusing to step out of the public eye while ill.

As the community remembers Andrea Andrade, attention now turns to how local organizations and health systems can honor her work by expanding support for patients and families, improving early detection outreach, and sustaining the hospital visits and gifts that became a hallmark of Not All Heroes Wear Capes. Her life and advocacy leave a clear message for Fresno County: visibility, care and access matter when it comes to cancer.