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‘Like 80 Pounds When She Passed Away’ – Chris Evert Detailed Sister’s Painful Cancer Battle That Saved Her Life

Published Aug 23, 2022 | 11:12 AM EDT

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Chris Evert has suffered more than her fair share of hardships. She fought odds such as injuries, rough matches, and a rival like Martina Navratilova to execute a marvelous career. But later lost to a sneaky disease. Evert, who accurately predicted her opponent’s next move, failed to detect death around her sister.

In 2017, while racing through the airport to make their flights to the WTA Finals in Singapore, Evert caught her younger sister gasping for breath. Following that came the heartbreaking news of her cancer and within a few years, Evert lost Jeanne Evert Dubin. Though her demise saved the 18 times Grand Slam champion. Here’s what she has to say about the same.

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Jeanne and Evert’s struggle

Evert while in an interview spoke about her family’s struggle with the deadly disease. After disclosing how her sister’s death made her take the decision of going through a preventive hysterectomy, she addressed what the days of waiting for the results felt like. And said, “It was the longest three or four days of my life because I was either stage one or stage three or even stage four. Tied up in knots for three days.

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Thereafter, she opened up about what Jeanne went through during her two and half years of fight against the stage four ovarian cancer. Evert said, “I knew this was a bad cancer. I saw Jeanne go through it. I saw the needles, the pain, the agony, the chemos and the endless being in the hospital and she was like 80 pounds when she passed away. It was horrible experience for her and to see her go through that.”

Dubin, like Evert, was a former tennis professional. She passed away at the age of 62 in 2020 and while delivering the eulogy during her funeral, Evert experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. Even so, her words related to her sister’s fight were strong and impactful.

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Further, the former World No.1 added, “I was like Jeanne please help me with this. And I got a call from the doctor and he said you’re all clear.” Evert was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer in January 2022. To terminate the same, she underwent six chemotherapy sessions and now has returned to her old regime.

What is Chris Evert up to these days?

The seven time French Open champion resumed her broadcasting role at ESPN after the medical procedures. She has been providing her services to the channel since 2011 and is one of the best when it comes to tennis. Therefore, one can expect to see her in the upcoming US Open as well.

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Watch this story: When Martina Navratilova destroyed a Twitter user over comments on Beyonce

Further, her charity work is also back on track. She is as active as earlier in campaigns with motives such as prevention of child neglect and drug abuse. Further, the Hall of Famer also participates in fund raiser regularly.

Written by:

Mahima Verma

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Mahima Verma is a Tennis writer for EssentiallySports. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Hotel Management from IHM Mumbai. A sports enthusiast, particularly Tennis since her childhood, Mahima believes that she is fortunate enough to witness the legends like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams play.
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Edited by:

Manaal Siddiqui