"If you can smile at the end of the day, if you can get through it,” said Bethany Pendergrass, who is currently on her second round of chemotherapy.
Illness wears many faces, and that especially rings true for this New Mexico woman, who dresses up as pop culture icons to stay positive during her battle against breast cancer.
Bethany Pendergrass, who was diagnosed in May 2018, is the woman behind Marge Simpson, Mrs. Doubtfire, Mia Wallace and even Miss Piggy.
But it all started with Maria from "The Sound of Music," who was brought to life when a friend said she resembled the lovable character when she shaved her head following her first chemo treatment.
“I had a friend tell me, 'Oh gosh you look like Maria from "Sound of Music,"' so as a joke, I put my picture next to Maria's picture and sent it to my friend,” she told InsideEdition.com. “I said, 'You know what? This is what I’m going to do. I’m going to recreate these pictures each week and tie it to my experience and that’s going to be my journal.'”
She explained she has no experience in art or costume design, and purchases most of her supplies from thrift stores.
One week, she dressed as Charlie Chaplin, inspired by his song “Smile," which she said helped her keep her spirits up during her battle.
Last week, Pendergrass needed to feel more like a “Superstar” than normal, so she posted pictures of herself from the movie’s main character Mary Katherine Gallagher.
“I just want people to remember if you can smile at the end of the day, if you can get through it,” she said. “Things can look better again and that's my purpose behind it, just reminding myself that it's going to be OK and there's better times ahead.”
She is currently on her second round of chemotherapy and slated to do radiation therapy later this year.
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