Elly Mayday, a plus-size model and body positive activist, has died at age 30, following a long struggle with ovarian cancer.
The family of Mayday—whose given name was Ashley Luther—announced on her social media accounts that she had died on March 1, nearly six years after she was first diagnosed with the disease.
The Canadian-born star rose to prominence in the modeling industry as one of the first curvy models.
Mayday was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in 2013, after suffering symptoms including lower-back and stomach pain, bloating, and constant fatigue.
Rather than take her health struggle private, she became an advocate for raising awareness for the disease.
Mayday used all platforms to speak openly about her struggles and proudly documented the effects of the disease on her body on social media and in professional shoots.
At the time of her diagnosis, she had two modeling contracts offered to her, and she quit her job as a flight attendant to start working as a professional model.
She saw modeling as an opportunity to help others who are battling ovarian cancer and show them that they are still beautiful.
She proudly showed off the cancer surgery scars on her stomach.
“This may not be an image you’re used to seeing,” she wrote. “Most moms-to-be post photos like this, in admiration of the little bundle on its way. I’m posting this for what’s inside too ... but in a different sense. This was my 5th operation for Ovarian Cancer.”
“I want to teach you all the things I’ve learned, how strong, beautiful and capable the body is,” she wrote. “Most importantly, I want to show you how you are #stillbeautiful through the things life hands us.”
After believing that she had beaten cancer, Mayday suffered a relapse in 2017, and she continued to post about her experience.
When she lost her hair to chemotherapy in August 2018, she took to media to “show women that bald is beautiful.”
“Our beauty comes out if we accept the changes we must face and allow ourselves to just embrace our differences,” she wrote. “My beauty doesn’t come from my hair, no, my beauty comes from within.”
“I’m excited to have another opportunity to show women that bald is beautiful. It’s something I’ve learned and my experience is what I share with all of you,” she continued.
In announcing her death, Mayday’s family encouraged her fans to share their “positive thoughts and memories” in the post’s comments section.
“This has hit me hard. Ashley who is 20 years younger than me, got ovarian cancer just 3 months before I did,” one person wrote. “She had the strength to go public with her story and journey and she became a role model, model and spokesperson for ovarian cancer awareness.
“I followed her right from the beginning of my own ovarian cancer journey and her positivity and authenticity gave me great strength to face my own challenges.”
“Elly impacted my life more than she will ever know, your beautiful girl saved my life,” someone else explained. “After watching her on a morning program here in Australia I sought that second ... third ... fourth opinion instead of giving up, I’m now 3yrs in remission and owe that to you Elly.”
