Supermodel Anok Yai undergoes surgery after revealing heart and lung condition

Supermodel Anok Yai has announced that she recently underwent surgery after being diagnosed with a congenital defect which had started making it difficult for her heart and lungs to work properly.

The 28-year-old catwalk star, who is regarded as one of the leading names in the fashion world today, revealed details of her health battle in a candid social media post in which she described it as a “silent battle” over the course of the last year.

Anok Yai said that she had her condition for most of her life unnoticed as it was initially asymptomatic. But eventually, the subtle little hints would explode into stark and terrifying indications.

What started with a persistent cough turned into chest pain, fits where she would cough up blood and times when she couldn’t breathe. For Anok Yai, the defect put too much pressure on her heart and over time weakened her lungs to the point that the situation was no longer sustainable.

Although her condition deteriorated, Yai kept on working as she tried to seek out a doctor. She said she believed that she could cope with the pain, a mentality honed over years in an industry where physical perseverance and queer toughness are often borne as almost badges of honor.

She finally recognized that putting off treatment only made her problems worse. “There was never going to be a ‘right time,’” she wrote, describing how her health would continue to deteriorate without intervention.

"Ive always thought I could outwork or outrun anything but the universe has a way of slowing you down and waking you up," she wrote in an Instagram story.

More about the surgery underwent by Anok Yai and her recent rise in the industry

Yai said that she recently had a robotic surgery for her lungs which is performed to treat diseased lung tissue. The operation was a success, the model said, adding that her medical team caught the condition in time.

Thanking several doctors and the team of medical professionals who were part of her diagnosis, surgery and recovery in her post, she stressed that their “work gave me more time.”

"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," she added.

Yai’s health revelation coincides with a time of heightened professional visibility. Earlier this year she won the title of Model of the Year at the 2025 fashion awards which further solidified her place as one of the greatest contemporary models.

Since rocketing to fame in 2018 after opening a Prada runway show, where she became the second Black model ever (after Naomi Campbell) to do so, Yai has posed for major fashion campaigns and editorials for publications like Vogue, Dazed and W Magazine.

Though she is concentrating on healing, Yai has made it clear that she considers this hiatus temporary. She concluded on a positive note, writing that she's on the mend and will be getting back to work eventually.