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Carlos Campana / AFP - Getty Images
Lava spurts out from the Tungurahua volcano in Pelileo, Ecuador, on May 8.
Lava streams from Tungurahua volcano in Ecuador
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Cancer survivors strut their stuff on the catwalk at Bionic Fashion Day
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.
Related content:
Woman with terminal cancer a model of beauty in Paris photo shoot
Ecuadoreans with disabilities take the stage
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Actresses wait for their turn to walk on stage during a performance of "Suenos," or "Dreams," at the Casa de la Cultura theater in Quito, Ecuador, Sept. 21, 2012.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Actress Marisol Nunez, left, who is blind, is led to stage ahead of her performance.
Associated Press reports — Not long ago, most of the 80 young cast members of one of Ecuador's most successful musicals were barely seen or heard.
They are blind, autistic, have Down syndrome or other disabilities. But on stage, the actors, singers and dancers of "Suenos," or "Dreams," easily transcend their limitations.
"What I like about this project is that it dignifies the disabled. Above all, the intellectually challenged, who have faced a lot of prejudice," said Marisol Nunez, a young blind woman whose acting and singing has captivated crowds.
Nunez lost her eyesight as a child to a congenital disease and is among the most experienced actors and singers in the cast.
The musical, which premiered three years ago, is based in part on the dreams of young people with disabilities and is presented by the nonprofit foundation El Triangulo.
Those dreams have now been shared with thousands, and not just in Ecuador. Scenes from the musical have also been performed by cast members in the United States and Europe.
EDITOR’S NOTE: These images were made available to NBC News on Oct. 3, 2012.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Cast members mingle backstage at the Casa de la Cultura theater in Quito, Ecuador, Sept. 21.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Singer Jennyfer Avila, experiencing a bout of stage fright, is comforted by her father prior to her performance in "Suenos," or "Dreams," at the Casa de la Cultura theater in Quito, Ecuador, Sept. 21.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
A cast member holds still as her make-up is applied and hair is brushed in preparation for her performance in "Suenos," or "Dreams," at the Casa de la Cultura theater in Quito, Ecuador, Sept. 21.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
Cast members wave goodbye to the audience as the curtain closes at the end of their performance of "Suenos," or "Dreams," one of Ecuador's most successful musicals, at the Casa de la Cultura Theater in Quito, Ecuador, Sept. 21.
Firefighters battle forest fire in Quito, Ecuador
Elder Bravo / Reuters
A firefighter screams as a forest fire grows behind him in an area close to the house of former painter Oswaldo Guayasamin in Quito, Ecuador on September 12, 2012.
Kevin Granja / Reuters
Smoke from a fire billows in a forest in the metropolitan district of Quito on September 12, 2012.
More than 1,000 hectares of forest have been burned since a series of fires started two weeks ago in the Ecuadorian province of Pichincha, according to the country's Ministry of Environment.
-- Reuters
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Ecuador authorities issue warning as Tungurahua volcano spews ash, gas
Gary Granja / Reuters
The Tungurahua volcano spews a large cloud of ash towards the nearby town of Bilbao, Ecuador, in the early hours of August 21, 2012.
Carlos Campana / Reuters
The volcano spews large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, about 110 miles south of Quito, on August 20, 2012.
Gary Granja / Reuters
The volcano spews ash towards the nearby town of Banos on August 21, 2012.
Carlos Campana / Reuters
A view of the volcano on August 20, 2012.
Ecuadorian authorities are encouraging residents living near the Tungurahua volcano to evacuate due to increased activity, according to local media reports cited by Reuters. The volcano has been in an active state since October 1999.
See more images of the Tungurahua volcano on PhotoBlog
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Ecuador's Tungurahua Volcano rumbled to life on Sunday causing alarm among residents living in the area. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Tungurahua volcano erupts in Ecuador
Jaime Echeverria / EPA
The Tungurahua volcano is seen from Juive Grande, Ecuador, early Aug. 19. The Tungurahua volcano erupted with explosions and tremblings described as volcanic activity in the range between moderate and high. Reportedly the region was put on an orange alert.
Carlos Campana / Reuters
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spews large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, about 110 miles south of Quito Aug. 19. The authorities are encouraging residents living near the volcano to evacuate due to increased activity of the volcano. The Tungurahua volcano has been in an active state since October 1999.
Carlos Campana / Reuters
A cow covered with ashes is seen in the skirts of the Tungurahua volcano after it began spewing large clouds of gas and ash.
Carlos Campana / Reuters
A house covered with ashes is seen in the skirts of the Tungurahua volcano.
Taxi for Julian Assange? Supporters scuffle with cops outside Ecuador embassy in London
Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA
A British policeman asks a taxi driver, who had apparently arrived following a request to pick up Julian Assange, to leave after he pulled up outside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where the Wikileaks founder has sought political asylum, on August 16, 2012.
Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images
Supporters of Julian Assange gather outside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London on August 16, 2012. Assange has been living inside the embassy since June 19 after requesting political asylum whilst facing extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault.
Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA
A supporter of Julian Assange is held by police outside the Ecuador embassy in London on August 16, 2012.
Updated at 8:52 a.m. ET: LONDON -- Ecuador granted asylum to Julian Assange on Thursday, expressing fury at a threat by Britain to seize the WikiLeaks founder at its London embassy.
NBC News wire services report — Protesters chanting slogans in support of Julian Assange tussled with police outside the Ecuadorean Embassy in London on Thursday after Britain said it might enter the building to detain the WikiLeaks founder holed up inside.
A Reuters reporter saw at least three protesters being dragged away by police as the crowd shouted: "You are trying to start a war with Ecuador." About 20 officers were outside the embassy trying to push away the crowd of about 15 supporters. Read the full story.
Ecuadorian officials have announced they will grant political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been evading extradition to Sweden for the past eight weeks inside Ecuador's embassy in London. TODAY's Tamron Hall reports.
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Carlos Campana / Reuters
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spews volcanic lava, accompanied by large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, about 178 km (110 miles) south of Quito on Wednesday. The Tungurahua volcano has been in an active state since October 1999.
Man the yards! It's 1812 in New Orleans
Specialist 1st Class Kenneth W. Robinson / U.S. Navy via Reuters
Ecuadorian sailors aboard the Ecuadorian tall ship BAE Guayas man the yardarms as they arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana in conjunction with the The War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration in this handout photo taken April 17.
Specialist 1st Class Kenneth W. Robinson / U.S. Navy via Reuters
Ecuadorian sailors aboard the Ecuadorian tall ship BAE Guayas man the yardarms as they arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana in conjunction with the The War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration in this handout photo taken April 17,
From Reuters:
NEW ORLEANS — A parade of naval vessels and square-rigged sailing ships made their way on Tuesday up the Mississippi River to New Orleans under threatening skies, kicking off a national bicentennial commemoration of U.S. victory in the War of 1812.
Often called the second War of Independence, the conflict is best known because much of Washington, including the White House, was burned by the British before the United States prevailed. To read more on the bicentennial click here for the rest of the story.
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano continues eruptions
Dolores Ochoa / AP
A plume of smoke comes out the Tungurahua volcano after it erupted as seen from Cotalo, Ecuador, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. Ecuador's Geophysical Institute said the volcano's increased activity that began Sunday, is billowing columns of ash, sending superheated clouds of gas down the slopes and cascading hot rocks from the summit.
Dolores Ochoa / AP
A view of the Tungurahua volcano as it erupts as seen from Cotalo, Ecuador, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. Ecuador's Geophysical Institute said the volcano's increased activity that began Sunday, is billowing columns of ash, sending superheated clouds of gas down the slopes and cascading hot rocks from the summit.
See more images of volcanoes in PhotoBlog.
Pablo Cozzaglio / AFP - Getty Images
The Tungurahua volcano is seen from Juive Grande, Ecuador, on Nov. 28, 2011. Authorities in Ecuador upgraded a possible eruption warning from yellow to orange, as the activity of the volcano raised suddenly.
Pablo Cozzaglio / AFP - Getty Images
Authorities near Penipe, Ecuador upgraded a possible eruption warning from yellow to orange on Nov. 28, 2011, as the activity of the Tungurahua volcano raised suddenly.
Tungurahua volcano heats up in Ecuador
Associated Press reports
Ecuador's government is urging four villages to evacuate because of increased activity in the Tungurahua volcano not far from the country's capital.
Ecuador's Geophysical Institute says increased activity that began Sunday is billowing columns of ash, sending superheated clouds of gas down the slopes and cascading hot rocks from the summit.