Evelina Skitsko revealed that she was diagnosed with colon cancer, undergoing surgery to remove a tumor in April.
The model kept her health adventure away from the "lights" of publicity and about a month ago she made a post on social media, revealing that she had fallen ill, without going into further details.
On Friday, December 5, she was a guest on the show "Buongiorno", speaking publicly about the symptoms that led to her diagnosis, the surgery she underwent, and also about a period of eight months during which she underwent chemotherapy.
Initially, Evelina Skitsko referred to the day of the surgery: "I had surgery, removal of the tumor. Elena wanted to be by my side that day. The surgery was on April 4 and I had been diagnosed about a week ago. I was very lucky, I had a very good team of doctors. I had colon cancer, they didn't expect it for my age."
As for the symptoms she had, which she ignored for a long time, she stated: "I had intense symptoms, I ignored them for a long time. I had changes in my bowel movements. Constipation, flatulence, I had very intense weight loss. I used to say it was because of the gym and traveling, but it wasn't. The symptoms were serious. Also, the fact that my period had stopped, they told me it was because of the traveling, but I felt that something was wrong. I went to a gastroenterologist and we did some tests. I understood because of the changes in my bowel movements that the issue was intestinal. Through the tests, we understood that I was losing blood from somewhere and he told me that it would be good to have a colonoscopy to rule out some possibilities and we found it there. A biopsy was done, but I think that the doctors understand if there is malignancy. Our body gives us signs, the point is to see it. "I suffered for a year. One night I had a very intense alternation and then I realized that I shouldn't let it go. I wasn't afraid, we usually fear for others."
Evelina Skitsko explained that from the day of her diagnosis until the surgery, everything happened very quickly: "I didn't have time to realize what I had, everything happened quickly, I woke up and it was gone. Psychology is everything, I had the best team. They had told me that I had the worst case of cancer, but with the best conditions. No one expected it. I was lucky because at the point where it was it could be removed. It was in the second stage and it didn't have time to metastasize. When I had the surgery, they took a few lymph nodes to see if it had been affected. They found some small cells there and I had chemotherapy for eight months. I felt it there, because there was a duration. Now everything is fine."
"I thought that speaking out was weakness and shame"
Evelina Skitsko revealed for the first time that she fought a battle with cancer, which she eventually won, with an Instagram post on November 16. The model, known from "GNTM", published photos from her hospitalization, talking about her fears but also the strength she gained through this entire experience. Elena Christopoulou and her family were an important support for her. She explained that at first she had difficulty speaking publicly about something so personal, believing that it might be considered weakness or shame. However, her attitude changed when she realized how many others were going through similar trials.
In the caption of her post, she wrote: "I didn't think the day would come when I would speak publicly about something so personal. I thought it was weakness and shame. I also thought that talking about something so personal was very sensitive for everyone. Until I saw how many people, young and old, are experiencing the same situation. That's when I realized how many of us there are. I realized that it's not weakness but rather strength. My most powerful weapon that I will always have with me. That's when I realized how much strength someone can have who fights every day with all their might to stay standing. Some heroes manage to emerge victorious and some others unfortunately don't. This is the reality. They are heroes though. My heroes for sure. And the heroes we should appreciate and admire. The doctors, the nurses, the assistants...heroes! "Beside you in every fall but also in every step you climb. A mountain in front of you. But... every day step by step until you climb."
