Mama Cax: Self Love Journey

Many people grow up with a skewed self-image. Whether that's from influence of popular media or dysmorphia it can be a crippling stage in someone's life. It can take years of self work and therapy to begin to move past those feelings. In most cases they can stick around especially if you have no one to support you. Mama Cax was one of those individuals who struggled and overcame in a very unique way.

Mama Cax was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 1989. She spent her early years being raised in Haiti. At the age of 14 she was diagnosed with bone and lung cancer. She was only given 3 weeks to live after this diagnosis. Despite this, 2 years passed and she was able to begin surgeries to remove the cancer. The first one was a hip replacement surgery that unfortunately failed. Afterwards, they had to make the choice to remove her leg.

This event greatly affected Mama Cax's self-confidence and became a life altering moment. She struggled with her body and mentioned that she spent weeks at a time not looking at it. She hid her prosthetic leg and if she didn’t she would be bombarded with questions about it. Which forced her to recount her story many times over. Later, she began blogging about lifestyle and traveling with a disability. Her instagram also became a place where she spoke directly about her insecurities. She spent time bringing attention to her leg instead of hiding it. She decorated it in many interesting ways to match her outfits.

On September 15, 2016, Mama Cax was invited to the White House to participate in a fashion show which was organized by Barack and Michelle Obama. Then, in 2017 she secured her first advertising campaign. Mama Cax signed with Jag Models and landed campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger and Sephora. She appeared on the September 2018 cover of Teen Vogue. She walked in a fashion show for Chromat and Savage X Fenty, a brand by Rihanna, who called Mama Cax a “Queen, a Force, a powerhouse beauty” on Twitter. In 2019, she was the face for the Olay brand sunscreen marketing campaign.

Being that Mama Cax was one of the first people with disability to walk the catwalk she educated, represented, and shared what it was like to be disabled. Her visibility broadened the definition of beauty for many and made a significant impact on the inclusion of people with disabilities within the modeling world. She used her platform to advocate for black and disabled models. You can hear it from her words here. Her work is very visible online including her blog, motivational speeches, and her modeling work.

Mama Cax’s life was cut short suddenly in 2019 from medical complications at the age of 30. Her legacy of bringing diversity to mainstream media is something you can see the impact of today. 

Mama Cax's story is a testament to the power of finding one's inner self love, and using it to create a space that shows love. Rosarium Health hopes to create a safe loving home by connecting you with an occupational therapist and a licensed contractor to make changes to your home that make it more accessible. If this is something you’re interested in please check out our website.