By Kai

Eva Ekvall was a Venezuelan beauty queen at 17, and third runner-up in the Miss Universe by 18. She was a model, actress, television news anchor and author. Indeed she accomplished a great deal as a young woman, but while such achievements were highly praised it was the beauty’s personal struggles that displayed her true strengths and determination.

Ekvall was diagnosed with breast cancer six months after the birth of her first child. She released a book emphasizing on her battle and bringing more public attention to the disease. “Fuera de Foco (Out of Focus)” included personal statements as well as photographs of Eva’s shaved head. In an interview with with El Nacional newspaper last year, Ekvall stated “I needed to send the message of the need for cancer prevention.” She later told BBC: “Its absurd that there should be a taboo about breast cancer in a country of breast implants, where women have few reservations about showing off their surgically-enhanced breasts.”

Eva was very much hopeful of triumphing and going on to not only being a more healthy mother and wife, but to write more as well. Unfortunately, the ‘humble lady’ lost her fight on Saturday December 17 at a hospital in Houston. She will be cremated and her remains taken back to Venezuela. Eva has once stated that “although my mother is Jamaican, and my father is American of Swedish and Hungarian descent, I feel more Venezuelan than anybody.”

Many have sent their condolences to Eva’s family from around the world. Some took to twitter to express their sadness over her death. 

In all honesty, it stuns me how young she was when she died, but it also educates on how this disease affects anyone, the young and old alike. We all should be more aware of it and how we can possibly prevent and preserve. 

Rest in peace Eva Ekvall, and may God bless your soul!