Eva Ekvall, former Miss Venezuela, dies of breast cancer at 28
Eva Ekvall poses in her evening gown during the Miss Universe 2001 Presentation Show at the Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, on May 6, 2001.
Former Miss Venezuela Eva Ekvall died this past weekend of breast cancer. She was 28.
Ekvall's family told the Associated Press that the former beauty queen died Saturday in Houston.
Ekvall won the title of Miss Venezuela in 2000 when she was 17. She went on to be the third runner-up in a Miss Universe pageant the following year and worked as a model, actress, television news anchor and author.
Read more from GlobalPost: Miss Venezuela takes the crown
She was diagnosed six months after the birth of her first child, a daughter, ABC News reported.
Her book, "Fuera de Foco" or "Out of Focus," was about her struggle with breast cancer, and it brought her battle with the disease to the public eye.
After the book came out with photographs of her with her head shaved, she told El Nacional: "I hate to see photos in which I come out ugly… But you know what? Nobody ever said cancer is pretty or that I should look like Miss Venezuela when I have cancer."
She later told BBC: "It's absurd that there should be a taboo about breast cancer in a country of breast implants, where women have few reservations about showing off their surgically-enhanced breasts."
Ekvall leaves behind a husband and 2-year-old daughter.
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.