Tennis Great Chris Evert Reveals She's Cancer-Free After Sister's Death from Same Disease
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Jason Koerner/Getty Images
Chris Evert has penned an update on her health, saying she is now clear from ovarian cancer.
The International Tennis Hall-of-Famer, 68, shared her happy news in a post for ESPN.com on Tuesday.
"Today, I'm cancer-free, and there's a 90% chance that the ovarian cancer will never come back," said Evert.
She went on to reference her sister Jeanne, who died of the same cancer. "My sister's journey saved my life," Evert noted, adding, "I hope by sharing mine, I just might save somebody else's."
The tennis legend highlighted the importance of genetic testing, specifically the BRCA gene mutation test, which can let one know early on if they are at a higher risk to develop the disease.
"A year ago, I started a journey to protect myself and my loved ones from the risks associated with the BRCA-related ovarian cancer that took my sister Jeanne's life," Evert wrote. "Jeanne wasn't BRCA positive, but genetic testing revealed she had a BRCA-1 variant that was of 'uncertain significance.' The doctors didn't recommend genetic testing for me or my siblings, and we stayed focused on Jeanne's treatment."
RELATED: Christina Applegate Had Her Ovaries Removed Because of BRCA1 — Should You Get the Gene Test?
"The last two years of her life were brutal; they were heartbreaking," she continued. "In February of 2020, Jeanne died."
Chris Evert Instagram
Evert, who won 18 Grand Slam singles tournaments throughout her career, is carrying on a mission in honor of her sister to get people more educated about cancer prevention and early detection.
She noted in her piece she got a call last November that medical experts had "reclassified her BRCA variant," and the "significance was no longer uncertain, it was now very clearly pathogenic, and we should have been tested." She was "shocked" by the development, she said, and within days was confirmed to have had the same BRCA-1 variant. The gene mutation can also put you at higher risk for breast cancer and other disease.
Immediately taking action, she scheduled a preventative hysterectomy. "But when my pathology report came back, my doctors and I were stunned to find that I had malignant cells and a tumor in my left fallopian tube," she shared of her finding her cancer.
RELATED: Tennis Star Chris Evert Has Stage 1 Ovarian Cancer: 'I Feel Very Lucky That They Caught It Early
"My doctor said if left undiscovered, in four months' time I would probably have been Stage 3 like Jeanne, with very few options," she said. "Instead, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer, and I immediately began six rounds of chemotherapy."
Rob Prange/Shutterstock
Though Evert is all clear, she said her journey is far from over. "I needed time to recover from chemo and rebuild my strength, but I still had one mountain left to climb," she wrote for ESPN. "The risk for me was bigger than ovarian cancer alone. BRCA mutations are associated with an up to 75% risk of developing breast cancer, and an increased risk of prostate and pancreatic cancer as well."
One year after having her hysterectomy surgery, she had a double mastectomy and removed both of her breasts. This time, she had better luck.
"I held my breath while I waited for my pathology results. Luckily, the report came back clean and clear, and my risk of developing breast cancer has been reduced by more than 90%," she wrote, adding she was "well on the road to recovery."
"My sister, like many people, was so busy taking care of everybody else, she ignored what her body was trying to tell her," Evert shared. "My advice is: Trust your gut, know your family history, learn about genetic testing and be your own advocate."
Jason Koerner/Getty Images
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Evert currently holds 157 singles titles and was previously ranked No. 1 in the world for seven years from 1974 through 1978, 1980 and 1981. She retired from tennis is 1989.
She is also a mother and has three sons — Colton, Nicholas and Alexander — whom she shares with ex-husband Andy Mill.
