Former “America’s Next Top Model” contestant Jael Strauss passed away after a short battle with aggressive stage 4 breast cancer, and her loved ones are urging fans and followers to #lovelikejael in her honor.
Strauss was just 34 years old. The model announced in October that she was facing incurable disease – but she was hopeful. However, her condition took a turn for the worse in November. She entered hospice on Nov. 22, according to a Facebook post.
Read MoreFriends created a GoFundMe page during Strauss’ battle, and that’s where they broke the news that the model has sadly passed away. “Today we lost our earth angel and she is back in the spirit world from which she came and we know she will be watching over us,” the update reads. “She will dance at how we celebrate her life by spreading the love that she lived by daily with reckless abandon. We can honor her best by trying to #lovelikejael.”
Strauss had rapidly progressive metastatic inflammatory breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare and aggressive. It often causes the breast to look swollen and inflamed because cancer cells block lymph vessels in the breast skin, according to the National Cancer Institute. IBC is exceptionally hard to treat, according to the American Cancer Society, because in 1 of every 3 cases, it has already metastasized (spread) to other areas of the body at first diagnosis, which is what happened in Strauss’ case.
The model’s family asks that in lieu of flowers, those looking to help out donate to help pay for funeral arrangements and Strauss’ outstanding medical costs.
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