Paul Walker's daughter Meadow reveals past tumor diagnosis: 'I've come a very long way'

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Meadow Walker is opening up for the first time about a private health struggle.

The 23-year-old model and daughter of the late Paul Walker shared a past tumor diagnosis. In a never-before-seen photo from 2019, she appeared to be in a medical treatment facility — with a surgical cap on and fiducials, small stickers that look like donuts, affixed to spots on her forehead and the side of her face.

"Two years ago today. I’ve come a very long way. Bye bye tumor. Blessed & grateful," Meadow captioned the image without revealing a specific diagnosis. A rep for the model has not yet responded to our request for comment.

According to the Johns Hopkins site, when undergoing brain surgery, neurosurgeons may use fiducial markers to target certain areas for surgery or treatment. They help provide reference points to the surgeon to precisely locate tumors. They are also used by radiologists when doing CT or MRI scans to create a 3-D map of the head.

Among those to comment on the powerful post was model Christy Turlington, who wrote, "Beyond blessed. LOVED." Meadow replied, "love you."

Meadow is best friends with Turlington's daughter, Grace Burns. Burns was in Walker's wedding party when she married Louis Thornton-Allan last month in the Dominican Republic. The wedding was well-represented by the Fast & Furious family. Meadow's godfather Vin Diesel walked her down the aisle, and Jordan Brewster attended as well.

Meadow has had a lot to overcome in her 21 years. Her father, F&F franchise star Paul Walker, died in a 2013 car crash at the age of 40. There was a brief custody battle over her between her mother, Rebecca Soteros, and the actor's mother, Cheryl, but it was resolved. A stipulation was that Soteros had to go to rehab to treat her alcohol addiction.

However, Meadow has publicly navigated it with grace. She's made it her mission to run the Paul Walker Foundation to keep her father's memory alive, and has built an impressive modeling portfolio at a young age. The magazine cover star recently opened Proenza Schouler's FW21/22 show as well as Givenchy’s first runway show under the creative direction of Matthew M. Williams, who later designed Meadow's wedding dress.

Earlier this month, Meadow hit the red carpet for the first time since her wedding to attend the WSJ Magazine 2021 Innovator Awards.