Former Miss Venezuela Eva Ekvall who has been struggling with breast cancer has died, at age 28. The model was crowned Miss Venezuela in 2000, when she was on 17 years old. The model and mother of one died on Saturday in a Houston, Texas hospital after a two year battle with the disease.

Eva Ekvall was born to an American father and Jamaican mother, she was discovered while working in a clothes store in Caracas by a modeling agency scout. After being crowned Miss Venezuela, the following year, she was third runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant held in Puerto Rico. She later went on to become a news anchor for Venevision in her home country.

She was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer in February 2010, and underwent eight months of treatment which included radiation, a mastectomy and chemotherapy. We send condolences to the family of Eva Ekvall and we wish you all the best in your time of grief.

[img via Getty]