News

Tennis icon Chris Evert announces she is cancer free

By TieBreakNewsPosted on
Time to Read:-words

Former 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert has shared absolutely great news as she is cancer free.

12 months ago, Evert announced she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Today, Evert – one of the greatest players in tennis history – announced via a post for ESPN that she is cancer free.

In 2020 February, Evert sadly lost her battle Jeanne to ovarian cancer.

In her post for ESPN, Evert wrote: “Jeanne wasn’t BRCA positive, but genetic testing revealed she had a BRCA-1 variant that was of “uncertain significance.”

Last November, the Evert family was notified that Jeanne’s BRCA-1 variant “was clearly pathogenic.”

At the time, Evert didn’t notice any health problems but still decided to undergo preventative testing.

“My doctors and I were stunned to find that I had malignant cells and a tumor in my left fallopian tube,” Evert wrote for ESPN.

Evert: Now I’m cancer free

Had Evert’s cancer gone undiagnosed for three or four more months, it would they probably gone to Stage 3.

Fortunately, Evert caught the cancer early and was able to beat the disease.

“My doctor said if left undiscovered, in four months’ time I would probably have been Stage 3 like Jeanne, with very few options. Instead, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer, and I immediately began six rounds of chemotherapy. Today, I’m cancer-free, and there’s a 90% chance that the ovarian cancer will never come back,” Evert wrote for ESPN.

Evert, 68, also acknowledged the importance of preventative testing.

“When it comes to deciding between surveillance or surgery, everyone’s choice is personal. The most important thing is not to leave things to chance. Of the 25 million women and men worldwide who have a BRCA mutation, only 10% know they are carriers. When I talk to people about genetic testing, so many people say, ‘It’s too scary to know.’ I’m here to tell you, it’s scarier not to,” Evert said.