Tennis champion Chris Evert is cancer-free.
The 18-time grand slam winner broke the good news in an ESPN article Tuesday, just over one year after she announced her ovarian cancer diagnosis.
“Today, I’m cancer-free, and there’s a 90% chance that the ovarian cancer will never come back,” Evert wrote.
Evert, 68, was diagnosed in December 2021 after a malignant tumor was discovered in her left fallopian tube following a preventive hysterectomy.
She underwent the procedure after her sister Jeanne died from ovarian cancer. The sibling had a BRCA gene that made her more likely to develop ovarian cancer. After testing, Evert learned that she had the same gene.
“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 wrote Tuesday.
Evert underwent six rounds of chemotherapy in early 2022. Later in the year, she had a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of breast cancer, which is also linked to the BRCA gene.
Doctors told Evert her risk of breast cancer had been reduced by 90%. On Tuesday, she said she had one reconstruction procedure remaining.
“I will never heal from losing Jeanne, and I will never take for granted the gift she gave me in the process,” Evert wrote. “My sister’s journey saved my life, and I hope by sharing mine, I just might save somebody else’s.”
