Former Miss Colombia Inspires Us As She Shares Love for Her Body, Despite Losing One Leg

Daniella Alvarez, who was crowned Miss Colombia in 2011, recently received the heartbreaking news that her left leg needed to be cut off. Yet she has proven to be a strong person, going through the operation with a smile. Despite knowing that her life would never be the same again, she bravely said, “I am happy to be here in this world and to experience the new challenges coming into my life.”

We at Bright Side feel deeply moved by her optimism, and we hope that this story of her strength gives you hope and motivation as well.

Daniella Alvarez is more than just a beauty queen.

The former Miss Colombia, who represented her country in Miss Universe 2012, became a model, a business woman, a TV host, and a UNICEF ambassador after her beauty pageant stint. She owns a boutique, and does modeling for her products herself. Little did she know that she would soon be an even bigger role model, even though she would have to face an unexpected hardship to get there.

She bravely smiled through the pain.

Not long ago, Daniella had to have a surgery to remove a mass in her abdomen. Unfortunately, the mass disturbed the blood flow to her lower leg, which was why her leg had to be amputated. If not, she would’ve experienced intense pain, even when she was resting. At the time that she received this heartbreaking news, she was only 32 years old.

While going through possibly her toughest experience yet, Daniella’s family came through to support her. Even her ex-boyfriend, Lenard Vanderaa, was there by her side. They are her pillar of strength and the reason she was able to grin and bear it all. She even looks forward to the future and plans to have a prosthetic limb so that she can continue to dance, run, cycle, and swim as usual.

Her powerful words are a message of body positivity.

Although she acknowledges that losing her leg will have an impact on her future, she is optimistic that the best parts of her life are yet to come. She even says, “Feet? Why do I need them if I have wings to fly?” In the world where body image is a big issue, the former Miss Colombia told us her version of how she sees her new body: “I love my body as I did before.”

Did you feel motivated to love yourself as you are, no matter what, and live your life to the fullest after reading her story? Spread the message of body love by sharing this article with your loved ones!