Supermodel Anok Yai is opening up about a recent health scare, revealing that she underwent surgery to correct a congenital defect that she said was “destroying” her lungs.
The stunning beauty, 28, took to Instagram over the weekend to share the harrowing experience with her supporters alongside footage of her post-surgery hospital stay.
“For the past year I’ve been dealing with this silent battle. I incidentally found out I had a Congenital defect overworking my heart and slowly destroying my lungs,” she revealed. “What started as something asymptomatic for the majority of my life turned into a lingering cough, which turned to chest pains, bouts of coughing up blood, then at times struggling to breathe.”
She continued,
“I chose to work through this while trying to find the right doctor and the right time. I quickly realized there was never going to be a “right time” – my health would continue to worsen. I’ve always thought I could outwork or outrun anything but the universe has a way of slowing you down and waking you up. So yesterday I had a successful Robotic Lung Surgery thanks to Dr. Robert Cerfolio and his gracious and talented team who I am forever indebted to for giving me more time.”
About Anok Yai
Anok was famously discovered in 2017 when she was snapped by photographer Steve Hall during Howard University’s homecoming.
The photo quickly went viral, and the Sudanese-born supermodel’s career took off as she signed with Next Management shortly after, which helped propel her into campaigns for some of the world’s most recognizable luxury brands.
Though stepping away from her initial path of studying to become a doctor, Anok still plans to use her talents to help others, specifically Black girls.
“When I was younger, I was insecure about my skin because I looked up to people in the media and, though I looked up to the black women, I never saw black women that were as dark as me,” she told VOGUE in 2017. “I definitely want to be a role model for young dark-skinned girls and girls in general—I want to bring to light ideas of self-love and self-confidence.”
Earlier this month, Anok was crowned “Model of the Year” at the 2025 Fashion Awards in the UK.
Prayers up for a full recovery so she can continue slaying.
