Bianca Balti. Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Bianca Balti is grateful for her team of medical professionals amid her ovarian cancer diagnosis.
“This is my pain medication doctor,” the Italian model, 40, captioned a photo via her Instagram Story on Monday, September 16. “Right before I left the hospital, he told me, ‘Remember the difference between pain and fear.’ And that made me cry just now.”
She added, “Some people are just angels in disguise.”
Balti first shared her diagnosis via Instagram one day prior, detailing how an emergency room visit led to doctors discovering cancer.
“Last Sunday, I checked myself into the ER to find out that my lower abdominal pain was stage 3C ovarian cancer,” she captioned a carousel of photos of herself and others at the hospital. It’s been a week full of fear, pain and tears but mostly love, hope, laughter, and strength.”
According to Mayo Clinic, ovarian cancer is described as a growth of cells that forms in the ovaries. The cells multiply quickly and can invade and destroy healthy body tissue. Treatment tends to involve surgery and chemotherapy.
She continued, “I have a long journey ahead, but I know I will beat this. For myself, my loved ones (my daughters are at the top of the list), and all of you who need strength, you can borrow some of mine cause I have loads. Life happens; give it a reason. So far, cancer has given me a chance to find beauty through life’s hurdles.”
Friends and followers offered their support in the comments section of her announcement, with her fellow models rallying around her.
“Oh B❤️🫂 sending you so much love and strength x,” Gigi Hadid wrote, while Amelia Gray said, “I love you so much, you’re incredible!!! You got this.”
This isn’t the first time that the Sports Illustrated model has been open about her health.
Late in 2022, Balti discovered that she is a carrier for the BRCA1 gene, which can increase a person’s risk of cancer. She learned she had a 50 percent chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer and a 30 percent chance of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Balti underwent a preventative double mastectomy in December 2022.
“I wasn’t sick, yet — but I knew the chances were much higher that I would be one day,” she told Vogue in March. “I now had the free will to do something about it.”
She added, “I wanted to be a good role model for my daughters and take care of my health … Every time I speak publicly about what happened to me, people will reach out and tell me they did a mammogram or had their genes tested. So I know it actually makes a difference when you talk about it.”