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Dolores Ochoa / AP
Helianny Garcia uses crutches as she parades down the catwalk during Bionic Fashion Day at the Metropolitan Cultural Center in Quito, Ecuador, on Feb. 5. Garcia is a cancer survivor from Venezuela whose right leg was amputated in her fight against the disease.
Published at 3:53 p.m. ET: As Fashion Week starts today in New York, the catwalks will be filled with implausibly thin models who embody a very particular idea of physical perfection, but in Ecuador on Tuesday a different kind of fashion show took place. At Bionic Fashion Day the models were young cancer survivors who had lost limbs to the disease. Sixteen models from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador wore creations by Ecuadorean designers at an event organized by the Youth Against Cancer Foundation. The event aimed to counter stereotypes and break down social barriers for cancer patients and survivors.
Editor's note: All photos are from Feb. 5 and were made available to NBC News on Feb. 7.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Cintia Caraguay of Ecuador prepares to model a creation before the start of Bionic Fashion Day. Caraguay lost her right leg to cancer.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Eric Salas from Venezuela, who lost his right arm to cancer, is prepared to model clothing at Bionic Fashion Day.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Yulexi Chevez of Ecuador is assisted as she parades down the catwalk using her prosthetic leg at Bionic Fashion Day.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Arli Mujica, from Venezuela, supports herself on crutches as she wears a piece of her costume before the start of Bionic Fashion Day. Mujica is a former runner who lost her left leg to cancer. Today, Mujica is a competitive swimmer at the paralympic level.
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Leave a Comment:
This is an awesome idea and a great opportunity for cancer survivors to get a self-confidence boost in participating in something like this! And quite honestly, I prefer seeing normal people walk the runway in fashion shows than those models who look like all you need to do is blow on them and they'll break.
There are cures for cancer.
The pharmaceutical billion dollar monopoly is the culprit.
Natural cancer cures are inexpensive.
Google Dr. Lorraine Day
Dr. Hulda Clark
The Cancer Control Society
Dr. Manner experiments with Vit A emzymes laetrile
You mean THIS Dr. Lorraine Day, follower of Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel, from an online interview:
google Harry Hoxey and Morris Fishbein
Did you read the ingredient Gatorade is taking out of their product.
Flame Retardant.
You've been drinking flame retardant for 50 years.
How do you think that affects developing embryos of pregnant women?
Every cell in your body.
Read Murder by Injection.
OK, koobee, we get it. There's a vast conspiracy by the pharmaceutical industry to hold back the cures for cancer. This is more about a fashion event.