Bethany Pendergrass explains how recreating iconic movie characters helped her cope with her illness

A breast cancer survivor has revealed how recreating famous movie characters helped her through her gruelling treatment. 

Bethany Pendergrass, 40, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, decided to cut her hair short in May 2018, shortly after feeling a lump when adjusting her bra, and finding out she had stage two breast cancer.

After a friend told her she looked like Fraulein Maria, played by Julie Andrews in the musical The Sound of Music, Bethany shared a snap online as a joke, and soon realised she could use pictures to document her cancer treatment and create a positive outlook on life. 

Now, 21 months after her diagnosis, and with her latest scan showing ‘no evidence of disease,’ Bethany has told Femail she is working on her last picture in order to close the chapter on that part of her life. 

Bethany Pendergrass, 40, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, explained how recreating famous movie character helped her through her breast cancer treatment. Pictured left: Miss Piggy, and right, Bethany recreating the look

Pictured: Charlize Theron as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, and right, Bethany recreating the look on Instagram 

‘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,’ she said. 

‘I wanted a clever way to document my journey—to take a challenging experience and turn it into something positive. My pictures kept me focused on the positive. 

‘They gave me an outlet to share my experiences and even to work through the emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis,’ she added. 

A ‘no evidence of disease’ result means that there is no physical trace of the disease through examination or imagery. 

It means a complete remission, but does not mean the cancer is cured, and in some cases, the cancer can come back. 

Bethany starting recreating the character as a way to keep a weekly log of her treatment, from May 2018 til now (pictured left: Uncle Fester from the Addams Family, and Bethany redoing the character right) 

Bethany took her first picture as Fraulein Maria (Julie Andrews) from the Sound of Music as a joke after cutting her hair before starting chemotherapy, but stuck to it throughout her treatment 

The cancer survivor went through chemotherapy, 30 rounds of radiation and two surgeries in the span of 21 months 

Bethany says that she knew she had cancer after finding a lump by accident in April 2018, but still cried when she received the official diagnosis.  

‘It wasn’t so much that I was afraid I couldn’t do it, it was more that I knew I had to do it, and I knew it was going to be hard. I had to choose to be strong,’ she said. 

The pictures helped her cope with her heavy treatment, which consisted of chemotherapy and two surgeries.

Bethany underwent one lumpectomy with reconstruction on both breasts, and later a right side mastectomy and reconstruction with expander placement when the cancer returned, as well as 30 rounds of radiation to treat the condition. 

The pictures, shared weekly on Instagram, are accompanied by Bethany’s reflection on her days (pictured as Jack Nicholson in the Shining) 

The survivor offers brutal insight into her daily life with cancer. She explains that the pictures remind herself that she is strong (Marilyn Monroe on the left and Bethany’s take on the silver screen icon on the right) 

Bethany still has infusion of cancer medicine every three weeks and has another surgery planned in the Spring (pictured top: Janet Leigh in Psycho; bottom: Bethany recreating the iconic shower scene)

Throughout her treatment Bethany shared a weekly picture to her Instagram for 82 weeks, which boasts 2,173 followers, and chose a different character each time. 

Eight most common signs of breast cancer

• A change in size or shape

• A lump or area that feels thicker than the rest of the breast

• A change in skin texture such as puckering or dimpling (like the skin of an orange)

• A redness or rash on the skin and/or around the nipple

• Your nipple has become pulled in or looks different, for example changed its position or shape

• Liquid that comes from the nipple without squeezing

• Pain in your breast or your armpit that’s there all or almost all of the time

• A swelling in your armpit or around your collarbone

Her collection includes pictures of herself as Janet Leigh in Pyscho, Marilyn Monroe, Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road, as well as Alfred Einstein or Miss Piggy. 

Sometimes self-deprecating, sometimes glamourous, Bethany’s pictures are accompanied by an account of the treatments and setbacks of the week, giving a brutally honest insight into life with cancer.  

‘The pictures and words I write are reminders to me,’ she explained. 

‘I will be able to look back on them and remember that I am a strong person—I am a survivor and a fighter. My final picture will be with my oncologist and my radiation oncologist,’ she added.  

Whilst her last PET scan showed no evidence of the diseases in her body, Bethany still has one more surgery in the spring to replace the expander currently in her breast with an implant. 

She also still receives infusion of Herceptin and Perjeta every three weeks – two drugs used in the treatment of breast cancers – every three weeks.

In early February, Bethany shared the result of her PET scan with her followers, beaming as she danced and held signs which read there was no evidence of disease.   

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk