“Dig a hole in my chest”: Supermodel reveals double cancer fight
<p>Supermodel icon Linda Evangelista has shared the devastating details of her cancer battle, after being diagnosed twice in five years. </p>
<p>In a candid interview with <a href="https://www.wsj.com/style/fashion/linda-evangelista-steven-meisel-32909b7b?mod=style_lead_story" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>WSJ magazine</em></a>, the 58-year-old revealed why she chose to "keep it quiet" and only tell a handful of people close to her about her health battle. </p>
<p>Evangelista was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 after a routine mammogram, and decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy: a surgical procedure to remove both breasts. </p>
<p>"The margins were not good. [I chose this treatment] due to other health factors, without hesitation, because I wanted to put everything behind me and not to have to deal with this.</p>
<p>"Thinking I was good and set for life. Breast cancer was not going to kill me."</p>
<p>Four years later in 2022, Evangelista felt a lump on her chest and an MRI revealed cancer was present in her pectoral muscle.</p>
<p>"I just went into this mode that I know how to do – just do what you've got to do and get through it," she said. "And that's what I did."</p>
<p>"Dig a hole in my chest," she recalled telling her doctors.</p>
<p>"I don't want it to look pretty. I want you to excavate. I want to see a hole in my chest when you're done. Do you understand me? I'm not dying from this."</p>
<p>After another round of surgery, she was told the outlook was good for the future, but there is always a possibility the cancer could return. </p>
<p>"Well, once it's come back, there's a chance," she recalled the oncologist's words.</p>
<p>"I know I have one foot in the grave, but I'm totally in celebration mode."</p>
<p><em>Image credits: Instagram / Getty Images</em></p>
