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Woman documents cancer battle by dressing up and posing for iconic images from pop culture

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Beth Pendergrass. (Photo: Instagram/@instabeth505)
Beth Pendergrass. (Photo: Instagram/@instabeth505)

Beth Pendergrass, from New Mexico in the US, takes funny pictures of herself dressed as pop culture characters from famous pictures and movies and posts it on Instagram.

When a friend of Beth’s cut her hair into a pixie cut for chemotherapy, she noted Beth resembled Julie Andrews’ character from the Sound of Music.

“A friend told me I looked like Fräulein Maria from Sound of Music,” Beth told CBS News. "So as a joke, I took a picture of myself, placed it next to a picture of Maria from Sound of Music and sent it to my friend."

The comparison sparked Beth, who has more than 1 200 followers on Instagram, to start dressing up as iconic people, both real and fictional.

“Through research, I had learned that a number of individuals impacted by cancer recommended keeping a journal.

“I knew I didn’t want to keep just any journal. I wanted a clever way to document my journey – to take a challenging experience and turn it into something positive, and this was it,” she says.

“My pictures keep me focused on the positive. They give me an outlet to share my experiences and even to work through the emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis.”

Beth – whose dress-ups include the likes of Miss Piggy, Barbara Streisand and David Bowie – has had surgery to remove the lump in her breast and will soon start radiation therapy, ABC News reports.

“The pictures and words I write are reminders to me,” Beth says. “I’ll be able to look back on them and remember that I’m a strong person – I’m a survivor and a fighter.

“It’s nice that I could help others while helping myself.”

Sources: ABC News, CBS News, Instagram

 

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