Tennis legend battles cancer
Chris Evert: “The death of my sister saved my life”
Chris Evert (67) had to endure six chemotherapies, now the tennis legend has defeated ovarian cancer for the time being. Sister Jeanne, who died from the same disease, played an important role in this.
Published: 12:03 p.m
|
Updated: 12:18 p.m
It was news that shocked the tennis world: Chris Evert (67) has ovarian cancer. In January, the American made her illness public. “Good Morning America” now accompanied her to her sixth and hopefully last chemotherapy session.
“In tennis, you can control a lot. Not such things,” says the 18-time Grand Slam winner. “Thousands of people have cancer. I’m like everyone else.” Fortunately, the cancer was diagnosed at stage one, the earliest possible stage, so treatment was promising.
Sister died in 2020
It is thanks to her sister that she was diagnosed with the tumor so early – in 70 to 80 percent of cases it is not discovered until stage three or four. Jeanne Evert, also a former tennis player, died of ovarian cancer in February 2020 at the age of 62. The doctor immediately advised Chris Evert to have himself examined, since ovarian cancer can be genetic. And he was right.
“The death of my sister saved my life,” says the 67-year-old. Her younger sister was therefore also her motivation in the treatment sessions. “When I have chemo, it is my inspiration. I always think of her. She will carry me through it, »she said at the beginning of her therapy.
Now the chemo is no longer necessary for the time being, the doctors give her a 90 percent chance that the cancer will not return. As luck would have it, Evert’s tennis win rate at the end of her career was 90 percent. A good omen? Hopefully. (che)
