For weeks, she couldn’t sleep. She struggled with eating and focusing.
Just getting through the day proved to be a difficult task. Her mother — her best friend — had brain cancer, and there was no telling what the future would hold.
But there was still a small glimmer of hope: she would soon walk the runway.
Model and actress Bella Thomas has modeled for clothing companies and participated in New York and Dallas Fashion week shows. Throughout her career, she was turned down for her height of 4’11’’and struggled to support her mom who had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
“Being a model in the [entertainment] industry [keeps] me going,” Bella said. “It helps me balance everything going on in my life – the little things and the hard things. I hope that people will see me, relate [to me] and understand that they aren’t alone.”
Before she started modeling, Bella went on a trip with her grandparents to Houston in January of 2022. On this trip, they took professional photos where Bella dressed up as a young Victorian girl. As she posed, the photographer asked her what modeling agency she was under.
“I had no idea what she was talking about,” Bella said. “She told me I should get into modeling because I [pose] naturally, while most people are stiff and nervous. I had never thought about [modeling] before that day, but something about the way she said it made me want to start.”
Bella began modeling as a freshman. Since she hadn’t signed a contract yet; she said that jobs came slow or were denied.
“I was super insecure,” Bella said. “I was [going] into high school and I didn’t know anyone. I always tried to make myself something I wasn’t [in order to fit in] with people. [But] when I started modeling, it felt like a new sensation of self worth. I began to feel comfortable with who I am and the things that I’ve accomplished.”
Spring of her freshman year, Bella signed her first contract with entertainment agency John Cassablancas, an intermediate training group that works with young talents. They offered her a year-long contract where they introduced her to more advanced agencies. She did practice photoshoots, networked with other models and was set up with company advertisement campaigns.
“I am incredibly grateful that they reached out to me,” Bella said. “It made moving forward easier since I got exposure to [an] industry [that] many beginners don’t receive.”
After finishing her training, she enrolled into MTM (World Class Model and Talent Studios), a non-contract agency that allows models to sign with other agencies. Bella said that with MTM, finding and getting gigs became more consistent.
“Many agencies are very strict about [not allowing models to sign with other agencies,]” Bella said. “It’s harder to book jobs that way, especially just starting out, because if I were to find a great opportunity on my own, I wouldn’t be allowed to [pursue] it, and it’s important to do as much as possible starting out because every opportunity [will] help.”
In the summer before Bella’s sophomore year, she started walking the runway. She said finding jobs in the beginning was slow and inconsistent, but it began to pick up as she gained more experience.
“They would hear I’m 4 ’11” and they would tell me they need a tall girl,” Bella said. “After [receiving] multiple ‘no’s, it was hard to push myself [to keep going,] but I just had to keep trying. I wanted to make people feel beautiful for having the same features as me, because I remember being that girl looking at [models like] Bella Hadid and thinking ‘I will never be her.’”
During her sophomore year, Bella and her family went to Disney World. What was supposed to be the best trip of her life ended up being the scariest. Her dad found Bella’s mom on the floor having a seizure.
“I was unbelievably worried,” Bella said. “[There] was a lot to feel because we didn’t know what was wrong yet. We didn’t know if she was alive because, when we found her, she was unconscious.”
A few hours later, Bella and her family went to visit her mom at the hospital. Her mom was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a breathing machine; her head was swollen and she couldn’t speak.
“It was so hard seeing her that way,” Bella said. “She was in so much pain, [and I had left] the hospital that night thinking that my mom was going to die. We were at the happiest place on earth, and I thought I was going to lose my best friend.”
Two days after Bella’s mom collapsed, the doctors ran an MRI. Bella’s mom was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast growing and aggressive tumor residing in the brain. The MRI scan showed that a majority of her brain had been taken over. On Dec. 1, 2023, her mom had a surgery where half of her brain was removed.
“Some days are better than others,” Bella said. “[The people who] meet her just think she has a speech impediment. [However,] she’s not the same person she used to be, and while it’s been great learning who she is now, it’s hard when my own mother doesn’t remember my name sometimes.”
Bella’s mom is currently on an inhibitor that stops tumor growth. As of now, there hasn’t been any new growth since last December.
“She is doing so much better [compared to] when we found [her,]” Bella said. “It is such a beautiful thing — she is alive and functioning — but it’s still hard when I’m with her and [remember] my role model and biggest supporter for modeling is in the condition she’s in.”
Bella’s sophomore world history teacher, Kiefer Birdsong, knew Bella when her mom was first diagnosed with glioblastoma. Birdsong said that while Bella had always been a quiet student, she opened up to him and those in the class after he’d reached out to her and her family to offer his condolences.
“The fact that she was still doing the modeling gig [despite her] mom being in debilitating condition shows that she’s a tough and resilient person,” Birdsong said. “In my class, she excelled at everything she does, and I don’t expect any hardship to come in the way of that.”
During Bella’s sophomore year, she was featured in the Fashion Republic magazine and advertised for companies such as Cocoberry and Islandsunclub. She said that despite having to come to terms with her mom’s diagnoses, modeling gave her something to look forward to and find herself in.
“I hope other people hear about my mom and realize they are not alone,” Bella said. “Especially on social media, [models] are seen as pretty people who have no struggles, but just [being in] the industry is difficult and not everything is [what it seems.] I want people who are struggling and insecure to see me and understand that they can do what I do, too.”
In September of 2024, Bella walked the runway during New York Fashion Week in a green “Mila Hofman” dress. There, she met other models and signed contracts. In November, Bella walked the runway during Dallas Fashion Week. Her little brother, James Edward Thomas II, attended both of these shows and said that she’s the happiest when on the runway.
“Before walking the runway she’s always nervous,” Thomas said. “But that doesn’t stop her [from being] fully herself [on the runway.] I’m so proud of her for [making her way] through hard moments and still [coming out] as a strong and caring person. She has always put in the effort.”
After high school, Bella plans on pursuing a career in the medical field. Currently, she is enrolled in the medical program at the TECC Center.
“I remember sitting down and talking with my mom’s anesthesiologist,” Bella said. “She helped me calm down, and explained the process my mom was going to [go through.] I want to help other families going through the same thing [we did,] and make them feel seen.”
Bella has also acted in commercials and been on apparel advertisement posters hung at malls. She said that her main focus for the future is progressing on the runway.
“Being able to make people, especially young girls, feel pretty for having the same features as me [is] empowering,” Bella said. “To show people that no matter [how they] look, they can be in the [entertainment industry] is so fulfilling. Whatever the future holds for me, I hope I can work in [modeling] for as long as possible because I love it.”