As this year's Miss Rodeo America, Ashley Andrews may be the queen of all rodeo queens. She may even wear a jeweled crown and a sash, but she hardly exudes a royal air. Down to earth, adorable in a fresh-faced, cowgirl kind of way, she has something about her expression that radiates unbridled innocence. Yet, her brown eyes show wisdom beyond her 22 years-a sense of the world that comes from the challenges and triumphs she's faced outside of the rodeo ring.

It was little more than one year ago, in January 2006, that sharp chest pains and rapid weight loss-almost three pant sizes in two months- prompted Andrews to see a doctor. She had just returned from performing her official duties as Miss Rodeo North Dakota at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver, when she could no longer deny the symptoms. Sure enough, a few tests, and eventually a biopsy, confirmed her worst fears. She had Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of lymph node cancer.

"It was a whirlwind after my diagnosis," Andrews recalls. "I just didn't understand how it could've happened to me. No one in my family ever had cancer, yet there I was talking about chemotherapy and losing my hair."

Andrews cried and wallowed for a day or two, and then, she did as any spirited cowgirl would do-she cowboy'ed up. "Even though I knew it was one of the most treatable forms of cancer, it was still terrifying," she says. "I knew it would be a fight for my life."

Andrews is the first North Dakota cowgirl in 24 years to win Miss Rodeo America. As a senior at the University of Mary in Bismarck, she studies communications, public relations, and political science. She took time off to fufill her duties, but after graduation, she plans to work in the public relations field, specializing in agriculture or cancer awareness.

And fight she did. Every other Tuesday for six months, Andrews received chemotherapy that left her queasy and weak for days. Not long after starting treatment in February, she picked out her first two wigs-sandy blond 'dos, she named "Brandy" and "Brittany."

But thanks to an outpouring of support, she stayed positive and concentrated on her health rather than mounting medical bills. Bismarck's Clear Channel radio stations came to the rescue and initiated a campaign that raised enough money to cover all of her medical expenses.

"The people of North Dakota were amazingly generous," she says. "I saw how the rodeo family comes together, and it made me even more determined to get well and to represent the rodeo way of life and its people."

During her treatment, Andrews met her obligations as Miss Rodeo North Dakota and attended all of the scheduled events except three. She even made a trip to Washington D.C. to participate in cancer awareness activities for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Her resolve paid off, and on Aug. 9, 2006, doctors at Bismarck's Mid Dakota Clinic gave Andrews a clean bill of health. "It is a wonderful gift to be healthy," she says. "Cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence. I am proof you can overcome anything with a positive attitude and a strong support system."

Nowadays, Andrews savors every moment of her reign as Miss Rodeo America. Though she still wears a wig while her hair is growing back, she is healthy and beaming with cowgirl pride. Not surprisingly, she's more determined than ever to make a difference.

"Cancer is something people don't like to talk about it, but at the same time, people are naturally curious about it," she says. "I hope by talking openly about my experiences that I can help people be a little less afraid."