This 22-Year-Old Instagram Star Is Using Her Insane Makeup Skills to Chronicle Her Chemo Treatments

Amanda Ramirez of Compton, California, discovered how creative she could get with makeup three years ago at the age of 19. When she was diagnosed with stage-3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma this summer, she told Yahoo! Beauty working with makeup has helped her get through treatment. As she posted the looks she’d slay while in the hospital, her Instagram following grew exponentially.

“It’s helped me immensely with dealing with my treatment. When you look beautiful you feel beautiful,” Ramirez said of making herself up even when she’s feeling her worst. Ramirez is also incredibly open with her 26,700 followers, letting them know when she’s struggling and when she’s feeling herself.

In many of her pictures, you can see the port through which she sees treatment. In others, she’s casually meeting her favorite artists (as all 22-year-olds do) or hanging with her mom (as all 22-year-olds really do).

Ramirez also uses her feed to advocate for women who, like her, have been body-shamed: “Self-confidence came from years of learning about myself and learning to love who I am,” she told Yahoo!. “For years I was bullied and fat-shamed, but I took the initiative to say enough! I’m beautiful regardless of my size, and it does not define me, nor anyone else for that matter. It’s important to me, because loving yourself is important — it’s vital to your well-being.”