Mama Cax was a Haitian-American model recognized for being a defender of the rights of people with disabilities. Google recently honored the memory of the model with a doodle during Black History Month. The doodle was created by Brooklyn artist Lyne Lucien.

Mama Cax broke molds

Mama Cax was also a woman who in her lifetime stood out for breaking expectations around beauty and who proudly walked the biggest runways, including New York Fashion Week, wearing her prosthetic leg adorned with special designs and unique patterns.

Mama Cax, who was born Cacsmy Brutus on Nov. 20, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was diagnosed with lung and bone cancer at age 14.

At 16, she underwent an unsuccessful surgical procedure to replace her hip — which led to the amputation of her right leg. The situation affected Cax in a major way, and she became depressed and had a hard time accepting herself, especially since her prosthetic didn't look realistic and didn't match her skin color.

Finding empowerment

Over the years, Mama Cax came to accept and love her new body, standing out for her use of elegant prosthetic covers that became her personal hallmark of style, which, added to her colorful outfits, hair dyes and bold makeup, made her highlight her love for fashion.

In addition to successfully venturing into the world of fashion and catwalks, Cax also sought refuge in sports, leading her to riding a manual bicycle and successfully completing the New York Marathon.

Today’s #GoogleDoodle shines a spotlight on Haitian American model and disability advocate Mama Cax.

Learn about how she expanded the image of what people with disabilities should be or look like → https://t.co/PEqOhMgkm4

: Lyne Lucien pic.twitter.com/bblI5MMSwC

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) February 8, 2023

Mama Cax also used her social media to support the body positivity movement, and the causes of Black and disabled women, who continue to be vastly underrepresented.

Her fresh and empowered approach, as well as an honest dialogue about her body insecurities, led her to advocate for inclusion in fashion and she officially broke out as a model in an ad campaign in 2017, later establishing herself as a member of the Jag Models agency, where she landed a Teen Vogue cover.

Due to medical complications, Mama Cax passed away in 2019. The Google Doodle dedicated to her memory highlights many facets of her identity, including her Haitian heritage, her hometown of New York and her career in fashion with her prosthetic incorporated into the look.