She became a superstar on the fashion catwalks in the 90s but the disease does not choose its targets. Linda Evangelista, 58-year-old top model, gave her news in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
She mentions in particular her health problems which kept her away from the media and the covers of magazines: she fought two breast cancers in five years.
The first diagnosis fell in 2018. In the process, she made the decision to undergo a double mastectomywhich corresponds to a double ablation of the chest, thinking then “be quiet for life”she says.
“I opted for a double mastectomy without hesitation, because I wanted to put it all behind me and not have to worry regarding it”, did she say.
“I’m not going to die of this”
But the disease returned last year, in 2022. She says she asked her surgeon to “dig a hole in his chest”.
“I don’t want it to be pretty. I want you to dig. When you’re done, I want see a hole in my chest. You understand? I’m not going to die from this”she says.
Then follows a medical course with very heavy treatments: surgical operations, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The star had, until now, never mentioned these serious health problems. “Only a handful of people knew regarding it”she says.
“JI thought to myself that I would share that one day, but not when I was in the middle of it, absolutely not”. In fact, she was afraid of having the paparazzi in front of his door.
Today she is finet “son diagnosis is good“. “I know I have one foot in the grave, but I’m totally in celebration mode. I’ve overcome horrible health issues… I’m happy to be alive. Whatever is happening now is a bonus”, she confided.
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed
In a recent large study conducted around the world, researchers noticed an increase in the number of people under the age of 50 being diagnosed with cancer.
The cases of cancer among 14-49 year olds jumped nearly 80%rising from 1.82 million to 3.26 million, between 1990 and 2019, according to the study published in the British journal BMJ Oncology.
Breast cancer has been the most frequently diagnosed for three decades. But the fastest growing cancers are those of the nasopharynx – where the back of the nose meets the top of the throat – and the prostate. Conversely, liver cancer decreased by 2.9% per year.
The researchers used data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study, analyzing the rates of 29 different cancers in 204 countries. The more developed the country, the higher the rate of cancer among those under 50, according to the study.
This might suggest that wealthier countries with better healthcare systems detect cancer earlier. But only a few countries screen people under 50 for certain cancers, the researchers note.
Besides poor diet, smoking and alcohol consumption, genetic factors, physical inactivity and obesity might also contribute to this trend, according to the study.
