In a candid Instagram post on December 19, Supermodel of the Year winner Anok Yai, 28, disclosed a significant “silent” health struggle. She revealed the diagnosis involved a serious condition that was “overworking” her heart and “slowly destroying” her lungs.
“For the past year, I’ve been dealing with this silent battle,” she began the lengthy caption. “I incidentally found out I had a congenital defect overworking my heart and slowly destroying my lungs.”
The post contained photos and videos of Yai recovering from her operation at New York University Langone Health in New York City. The pictures also showed her in a hospital bed, reading, and using an oxygen machine.
READ ALSO: South Sudan’s Anok Yai goes from Howard to being named 2025 Model of the Year
“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,” Yai continued.
“I chose to work through this while trying to find the right doctor and the right time,” she wrote. “I quickly realized there was never going to be a ‘right time’—my health would continue to worsen.”
The model, who chose not to share her specific diagnosis, disclosed that she had a robotic lung surgery. This procedure is a minimally invasive technique, which, as explained by the American Lung Association, involves using a robotic system and small incisions to perform the lung operation, as reported by People.
“I’ve always thought I could outwork or outrun anything,” she added, “but the universe has a way of slowing you down and waking you up.”
Yai also used her post to express gratitude to her surgeons and the medical facilities where she received treatment for her condition.
“[Thanks] to Dr. Robert Cerfolio and his gracious and talented team who I am forever indebted to for giving me more time,” she wrote. “And I am forever grateful for Dr. Harmik Soukiasian and everyone at the @beverlyhillsconciergehealth for discovering my condition. Thank you to all the doctors and amazing nurses at @NYULangone.”
“And thank you to my friends and family for being the first thing I saw when I woke up,” she concluded. “For now I’m healing … but I’ll be back. See ya.”
Other videos included in the Instagram post show the model waking up for surgery, and her family chuckling as she asked, “Does my hair look good?”
READ ALSO: Anok Yai: Model Recounts When She Was Called A “Cockroach” During A Photo Shoot
Well-wishes poured in from fellow models and celebrities, including Naomi Campbell, Angel Reese, and Heidi Klum, who commented on the post.
Yai recently received the prestigious Model of the Year title at the 2025 Fashion Awards, an event held on December 1st at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Presented by the British Fashion Council and Pandora, the event recognizes a model’s “global impact” after they have “dominated the industry over the last 12 months,” according to a press release.
Yai expressed her gratitude for the award, stating, “Being named Model of the Year is such an honor.” She highlighted her journey, which spans “from Egypt to South Sudan to the U.S.,” as a testament to “resilience and community.” Yai emphasized that this recognition is for everyone who identifies with her story, concluding with a thank you for “celebrating us.”
The award came a year after she lost the Model of the Year award to Alex Consani, who became the first transgender model to win the prize.
