Supermodel Anok Yai has revealed that she has been quietly battling a congenital condition that was putting strain on her heart and gradually damaging her lungs.
The 28-year-old runway star, recently named Model of the Year at the 2025 Fashion Awards, shared the revelation in a candid Instagram post, offering insight into what she described as a year-long “silent” health struggle.
“For the past year, I’ve been dealing with this silent battle. I unexpectedly discovered that I had a congenital defect that was overworking my heart and slowly destroying my lungs,” Yai wrote alongside photos and videos from her hospital stay.
The trailblazing model, who made history as the first Black model to open a Prada runway show, explained that the condition went unnoticed for most of her life before developing into serious symptoms.
“What was asymptomatic for most of my life became a lingering cough, then chest pains, episodes of coughing up blood, and at times difficulty breathing,” she shared. “I always thought I could outwork or outrun anything, but the universe has a way of slowing you down and waking you up.”
Yai also disclosed that she recently underwent major surgery, which she said was successful.
“Yesterday, I had a successful robotic lung surgery thanks to Dr. Robert Cerfolio and his incredible team. I am forever grateful for being given more time,” she wrote.
Robotic thoracic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure used to remove diseased lung tissue and nearby lymph nodes.
The model expressed gratitude to the medical professionals who identified the condition before it worsened, thanking Dr. Harmik Soukiasian, the team at Beverly Hills Concierge Health, and staff at NYU Langone.
She also acknowledged the support of her loved ones, saying they were the first people she saw when she woke up from surgery.
“For now, I’m healing,” Yai added. “But I’ll be back.”
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