An aspiring Indigenous model who was diagnosed with cancer the just one month after she won a three-year-modelling contract is back in front of the camera for the first time since completing chemotherapy.
Venessa Harris, now 15, was on top of her game on Sunday as she modelled for Sass and Bide in a photoshoot where she featured her Make-A-Wish necklace.
‘There were times where I didn’t think I could walk again or look pretty in front of a camera,’ said the brave teenage beauty, who was just 12 when she diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2015.
Venessa Harris, 15, booked her first photoshoot since finishing chemotherapy two years ago
She won a modelling contest in 2014 (left) and is back in front of the camera aged 15 (right)
The aspiring model was just 12 years old when she was diagnosed a rare form of bone cancer
‘My whole life was taken away,’ she said of her time spent in treatment. ‘I had no hair for 12 months, but now everything is getting back on track, and looking at those photos makes me feel like I’m normal again.’
Venessa admitted to ABC that she was nervous to be back in her dream profession, saying that being ‘stuck in a hospital bed for hours and hours on end’ gave her plenty of time to think about her first professional modelling shoot.
Even so, she never dreamed that it would be for Sass and Bide, one of the biggest names in fashion – founded Heidi Middleton, who is also a cancer survivor.
‘Looking at those photos makes me feel like I’m normal again,’ said Venessa of her photoshoot
Then 12 years old, Venessa (centre) with her mother Karen (left) and grandmother Lyn (right) was all smiles after winning an international modelling contest and a three-year contract
Sass and Bide founder Heidi Middleton (pictured with her children Elka and India in May 2017)
The big-name brand has been worn by the likes of Rihanna, Kate Moss, Mila Kunis and Beyoncé
Venessa’s brother, who she says is a source of constant support, went with her to the shoot
She was accompanied on the Brisbane set by her mother and little brother, who she said isn’t interested in modelling but is a source of constant support.
Venessa’s mother Karen Monoghan said that it was ‘surreal’ seeing her daughter finally able to start her dream career.
‘Our whole family was so excited to see Venessa happy,’ Ms Monoghan told ABC, admitting that the past three years had made her feel like the rug had been pulled out from under her family.
‘When they utter the words ‘cancer’ to you, you have so many different thoughts, but never in any of our thoughts did we think that she was going to be able to get to model.’
Venessa’s mother said that the whole family was ‘so excited’ to see the young girl happy again
Venessa was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma one month after she won a modelling contest
Venessa was just 12 years old when she won an international modelling competition that landed her a three-year contract including a trip to Paris, but had to reject the offer after being diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma.
The disease, which affects soft tissue and weakens bones, saw her spend most of 2015 in Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital receiving treatment.
The cancer was located in the neck of Venessa’s right femur and she was told it had eaten away so much of her bone that it had the thickness of an egg shell.
Venessa spent most of 2015 receiving treatment in Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital
‘I had no hair for 12 months, but now everything is getting back on track,’ she said on Sunday
‘The first few weeks were really chaotic and extremely stressful,’ Ms Ms Monaghan said in April 2015, three months after the diagnosis was made.
‘[Vanessa’s other mother] Kelly and I went through that uncontrollable fear stage. It was a very scary at that time. We were given clear instructions for her not to use her leg.’
Ms Monaghan said she did not know what she would have done without the help of Tamblyn Models founder Pam Tamblyn, who assisted the family by finding them a place to stay near the hospital in conjunction with Childhood Cancer Support.
During that time, her tiny home town of Windorah in rural Queensland raised over $25,000 to help pay her medical bills.
‘We can’t say thank you enough to the Windorah community, that’s our home and what they did for us literally saved our lives,’ Ms Monaghan said.
Venessa was surrounded by her family during her year-long treatment in a Brisbane hospital
The family’s home town of Windorah helped raised over $25,000 for Venessa’s medical bills
In May of 2017, Venessa had the opportunity to make another one of her dreams come true – she was flown to Sydney for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Along with her mother and sister, Venessa was taken to Australian fashion icon Alex Perry’s workshop where she was given a tour and her own dress, which only drove her ambition to get back into modelling as soon as she could.
The family were also given front row seats to the exclusive Sass and Bide show, and she was able to rub shoulders with fellow Indigenous model Samantha Harris.
Venessa Harris (right) with her namesake and fellow Indigenous model Samantha Harris (left)
Venessa is determined to keep modelling and is planning to pursue a career on the catwalk
While Venessa will have to have scans and blood tests twice a year for at least the next five years, she said that she wouldn’t change her experience.
The teen met some of her best friends while having treatment, proving that great things can emerge from horrible situations.
‘I had a bad time, but I’m grateful for the people I’ve met and the things I’ve experienced, and I really believe they have made me a better person,’ she said.
And now that she is back and feeling great, Venessa is determined to be in front of the camera for a long time to come.