My name is Ruth Marie, and I am not a cancer survivor.

Sometimes, I think back to the girl I used to be—the girl who had dreams, who believed in love, who thought she knew what life would be. She never imagined she’d be standing where I am today. She didn’t know the battles she would fight, the losses she would endure, or the fire that would rise inside her.

Maybe life has handed you something you never expected, something that shattered you, something that made you question everything you thought you knew. And yet, here you are. You are still here. You have fought through every storm, and whether you realize it or not, you are stronger than you’ve ever been.

I know what it’s like to receive news that changes everything in an instant. In 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. And I didn’t want to accept it. I remember the moment vividly—the way the world seemed to stop spinning, the way the words on the phone call felt like they belonged to someone else. Cancer? Me? No. That wasn’t my story. That wasn’t supposed to be my life. I didn’t run toward the fight. I didn’t immediately put on my warrior face. I turned away. I ignored it. I told myself that if I pretended it wasn’t there, maybe it would just go away. But cancer doesn’t disappear when you ignore it. It lingers. It waits. It grows. And sooner or later, I had to make a choice: let it take me or step into the fight.

So I fought. But let me be clear—I do not call myself a survivor. You survive a car accident. You survive a bad breakup, a storm, a season of hardship. But cancer? You don’t just survive it. You battle it.

You step into the ring, and you go round after round—nine, ten, eleven, twelve—until you either bow out or stand victorious. And I chose to stand. Not just as a survivor, but as a champion. Because cancer isn’t just something that happens to you. It’s something you rise against. It’s something you conquer. It’s something that forces you to look deep within yourself and decide who you are and what you stand for. And that fight—the will to live, to push forward, to believe in the beauty of tomorrow—that fight doesn’t come from a doctor, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan.

And so does beauty. People say, “Beauty comes from within.” But I used to think that was just something people said to make themselves feel better. Then I lost my hair. I lost my eyelashes, my eyebrows. I lost the face I had always known, the woman I saw in the mirror. And I had to ask myself: Where does beauty really live? And I found my answer. True beauty isn’t about how the world sees you. It’s about who you are, what you endure, and how you rise from the ashes. It’s about the strength that builds in the deepest parts of your soul when life tries to break you. It’s in the way you choose to keep going when you don’t know how. It’s in the way you hold on to hope when everything seems dark. It’s in the fire that refuses to burn out, even in the harshest storms.

And I need you to hear this—loud and clear: You are not beautiful because of your age. You are not beautiful because of your weight. You are not beautiful because of your skin, your hair, your past, or anyone else’s opinion.

You are not beautiful someday. You are beautiful. Right now. In this moment. In every moment. You always have been. You always will be. And that beauty? It’s more powerful than you know. It is the light that shines in the darkest places. It is the undeniable truth that no illness, no hardship, no struggle can take away from you.

I created BELLEZA not just for me, but for you. For every woman who has ever doubted her worth. For every fighter who has stepped into the ring, trembling but determined. For every soul who has faced life’s hardest moments and refused to be defeated. BELLEZA is not about looking a certain way. It is not about fitting into a mold. It is about owning the truth of who you are—boldly, fiercely, unapologetically. It’s about stepping into your power. It’s about standing tall, even when life tries to make you small. It’s about loving yourself—not just when you feel strong, but even when you feel weak.

You are beautiful. You are strong. You are a champion. And when you believe that—when you own that—everything changes. The way you walk, the way you speak, the way you love yourself and others. You don’t just change how you see yourself. You change the world around you.

So I dare you—stand tall. Walk boldly. Love fearlessly. Fight with everything inside of you. Because you are BELLEZA. And I see you. I honor you. I believe in you.