Anok Yai reveals congenital defect, undergoes robotic lung surgery
Supermodel says a congenital defect has overworked her heart and destroyed her lungs; doctors performed robotic thoracic surgery.
Supermodel Anok Yai disclosed Friday that she has been diagnosed with a congenital defect that has quietly wreaked havoc on her body, overworking her heart and destroying her lungs. The 28-year-old, who was named the Fashion Awards’ 2025 Model of the Year, described a progression from asymptomatic to a lingering cough, chest pains, bouts of coughing up blood, and periods of shortness of breath, saying, "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 wrote on social media along with videos and photos from her hospital stay.
She revealed that she recently underwent robotic thoracic surgery to remove diseased lung tissue and surrounding lymph nodes, a minimally invasive procedure performed by Dr. Robert Cerfolio and his team with the Beverly Hills Concierge Health group, and with support from NYU Langone. Robotic thoracic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure used to remove diseased lung tissue and surrounding lymph nodes, according to the American Lung Association. "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 wrote.
She thanked the doctors who helped uncover the condition, writing, "And I am forever grateful for Dr. Harmik Soukiasian and everyone at the @beverlyhillsconciergehealth for discovering my condition," and adding, "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." "For now I’m healing … but I’ll be back. See ya."
The update comes months after a highly public moment in her career. In December 2024, Anok publicly asked the British Fashion Awards not to nominate her for any future honors after losing Model of the Year to Alex Consani. She later publicly congratulated Consani and acknowledged exhaustion with the state of the industry, while stressing pride in her peer’s achievements. Anok Yai, born in Egypt and raised in New Hampshire, remains one of the fashion world’s most prominent figures, with milestones including opening Prada shows and other high-profile campaigns.