Former Miss Venezuela dies of breast cancer at 28

[oakranger]

WOW!  So young to have brest cancer and die from it.   

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former Miss Venezuela Eva Ekvall, whose struggle with breast cancer was closely followed by Venezuelans, has died at age 28.

Her family said Ekvall died Saturday at a hospital in Houston.

Ekvall was crowned Miss Venezuela at age 17 in 2000, and the following year she was third runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico. She went on to work as a model, actress and television news anchor.

She also authored a book, "Fuera de Foco" ("Out of Focus"), about her struggle with cancer, which included images by Venezuelan photographer Roberto Mata.

She told the newspaper El Nacional in an interview last year after the book was published that "I needed to send the message of the need for cancer prevention."

On the cover was a portrait in which she appeared with makeup and her head shaved. The book also included images of her while going through chemotherapy.

"I hate to see photos in which I come out ugly," Ekvall told El Nacional. "But you know what? Nobody ever said cancer is pretty or that I should look like Miss Venezuela when I have cancer."

At the time, she was hopeful of overcoming cancer and wanted to write more.

Ekvall's family said in a statement Sunday that her remains were being cremated in Houston on Monday and that a service is to be held in Venezuela once her remains are returned to the country.

Ekvall said in a 2007 interview published in Venezuelan news media that although her mother is Jamaican and her father is American of Swedish and Hungarian descent, "I feel more Venezuelan than anybody."

She was married to radio producer John Fabio Bermudez and had a 2-year-old daughter.

In her book, Ekvall had described her joy at the birth of her daughter saying "that happiness, although (the daughter) may not know it or understand it, keeps me alive today."

Her death brought an outpouring of condolences from Venezuelans, including from some prominent artists and politicians who praised her in messages on Twitter.

One drawing posted online depicted her as an angel with white wings and a pink ribbon on her chest.

Ekvall's husband posted a photo on Twitter Sunday showing a close-up of his hand holding hers, resting on a bed, with the words "Always together ... I love you wife."

[SilverZ06]

So sad. I can't even imagine losing my wife now (she will be 29 tomorrow and we have a 21month old son). 

[Shuffler]

Cancer hits at any age.... even small children.

They must not have caught it soon enough.

[lyric1]

  For any one that is cut down so young.

[tassos]

Freeking Cancer....You look for Aliens and Ufo...Cancer is the Enemy Nr.1 its not from this Planet, it lives when you re are dead

[Maverick]

RIP 

Cancer makes it a small world. My wife is a breast cancer survivor with 13 years now. I am finishing my 3rd year free of prostate cancer.

If you have been told you have canrer of some type, do not lose hope. Decide to beat it and work to survive the diagnosis.

[morfiend]

RIP 

Cancer makes it a small world. My wife is a breast cancer survivor with 13 years now. I am finishing my 3rd year free of prostate cancer.

If you have been told you have canrer of some type, do not lose hope. Decide to beat it and work to survive the diagnosis.

  Mav good on you and the Mrs!  my wife is celebrating 25 years this coming Easter!

   We never expected this as early age onset doesn't have the best outcomes,she was a year younger than Miss Venezuela when she was diagnosed. If you ask her she'll tell you she wasn't ready to go and wasn't going to let it happen!

    So your words above are close to home and struck me as a great attitude to have!



   

[oakranger]

  Mav good on you and the Mrs!  my wife is celebrating 25 years this coming Easter!

   We never expected this as early age onset doesn't have the best outcomes,she was a year younger than Miss Venezuela when she was diagnosed. If you ask her she'll tell you she wasn't ready to go and wasn't going to let it happen!

    So your words above are close to home and struck me as a great attitude to have!



   

RIP 

Cancer makes it a small world. My wife is a breast cancer survivor with 13 years now. I am finishing my 3rd year free of prostate cancer.

If you have been told you have canrer of some type, do not lose hope. Decide to beat it and work to survive the diagnosis.

You two and many other survivors show hope and believe.  Glad you and family still with us.   

[DREDIOCK]

RIP 

Cancer makes it a small world. My wife is a breast cancer survivor with 13 years now. I am finishing my 3rd year free of prostate cancer.

If you have been told you have canrer of some type, do not lose hope. Decide to beat it and work to survive the diagnosis.

18 years and counting survivor Hodgkins Lymphoma here

Yes it does. A very small world and an interesting fraternity that like combat veterans. Only those who have been through it can truly understand and relate to. You dont emerge from it quite the same person you were before.

You may have also noticed that having to watch and live with someone who is close to you is a different perspective then when you have to deal with it when its you. Two separate experiences. But once it was you. Then you became part of the same fraternity. Only then could you truely relate to one another having both experienced the same thing from differing perspectives.

Dont know if Im coming off right. But I think you know what I mean.

[68ZooM]

My condolences to her family,

 In 2002 my Mother died in my Arms from Cancer... it was a truly life altering event for me the last words she spoke before she passed was I'm proud of you Doug, i love you so much... as i told her i loved her she passed, it changed who i was.  My father was stricken with Cancer in 2005, i took him into the Doctors and after all the tests the doctor looked at both of us and said Mr Schwartz you have 3 months to live at that times i lived in central Oregon and drove up to see him almost every weekend, one night i awoke with a very bad feeling and that morning i got the call he had passed, it haunts me to this day that he died alone without no one by his side... but i am happy that they are together again, they truly loved and adored each other.