An American-Haitian disabled rights activist and fashion model, Cacsmy Brutus (1989-2019) a famous face of often marginally groups in the high-glamour world of fashion.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Haiti, Cax was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and lung cancer. Treatments lasted for years and often didn't work, and at 16 her right leg had to be amputated.
Though at first she hid her prosthetic leg, she did not let it slow her down. Cax received a bachelor's and a master's in International Studies and was working in the office of the Mayor of New York City when she started modeling.
Cax walked the runway for Chromat and Rihanna's Fenty Beauty and appeared on ad campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger and Sephora. In 2018, she walked at New York Fashion Week and appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue. She was the face of Olay sunscreen and participated in the New York Marathon in a wheelchair.
All of these amazing accomplishments were things she did while still sick, and in December 2019, at the age of 30, she died from blood clots in her lung.
Mama Cax was a trailblazing Black woman determined not to let any circumstances keep her from her place in the spotlight or miss out on any experiences.
Image Description: three color photographs of model Mama Cax, a Black woman with no hair. In the first, she is wearing a black and yellow athleisure outfit. She is standing on a runway with a prosthetic leg and canes. In the second, she is wearing sunglasses and a bikini and is standing against a blue wall with no prosthetics. In the third, she is sitting in a handcycle at the NYC marathon, wearing a blue tracksuit and helmet, raising a peace sign in the air.
