Eva Ekvall

{{short description|Venezuelan TV news anchor, and former Miss Venezuela}}

{{Infobox pageant titleholder

| name=Eva Ekvall

| birth_name = Eva Mónica Anna Ekvall Johnson

| image = Eva Ekwall.jpg

| caption =

| title = Miss Venezuela 2000

| competitions = Miss Venezuela 2000
(Winner)
Miss Universe 2001
(3rd Runner-Up)

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1983|3|15|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Caracas, Venezuela

| death_date = {{death date and age|2011|12|17|1983|3|15|mf=y}}

| death_place = Houston, Texas, U.S.

| eye_color = Blue

| hair_color = Brown

| spouse = {{marriage|John Fabio Bermudez|2007}}

| children = 1

}}

Eva Mónica Anna Ekvall Johnson (March 15, 1983 – December 17, 2011) was a Venezuelan television news anchor, author, advocate in the fight against breast cancer, fashion model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Venezuela 2000. After winning the competition, she had a brief career in television before being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.

Early life

Ekvall was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She was raised in both the United States and Venezuela and was fluent in English and Spanish from childhood. Ekvall attended the Academia Washington of Caracas. Her father, Eric Ekvall, was an American of Swedish descent,{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} who had lived in Venezuela since the early 1980s and worked as an actor and political consultant. Her mother, Dawn Johnson, was born in Jamaica, and once ran a small modelling agency in Alaska, where she met Eva's father.{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AS&p_theme=as&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F793DBA565DF863&p_field_|title=Former Alaskans Produce, Among Other Things, Miss Venezuela|date=September 22, 2000|access-date=March 22, 2011|newspaper=Anchorage Daily News|author=Mike Doogan}} Eva grew up with an older brother, Alec, who is a musician.

Career

Aged 17, Ekvall was crowned Miss Venezuela 2000, and the next year was third runner-up in the Miss Universe Pageant. As a Buddhist,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCpTJ1Gw0aM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/HCpTJ1Gw0aM |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Miss Universe 2001 Top 5 – Celina Jaitley |publisher=YouTube |date=August 1, 2008 |access-date=December 18, 2011}}{{cbignore}} she was the first non-Christian to have won the title of Miss Venezuela.

After a brief period as an actress on the Televen TV show Las Rottenmayer, Ekvall went on to earn a degree in journalism from Universidad Santa María in Caracas. Shortly afterwards she joined El Noticiero as a co-anchor for Televen. Ekvall expressed interest in doing radio and could fill in as a temporary host of a radio program on Circuito Onda.{{cite web |author=Diego Soteldo |url=http://www.unionradio.net/OndaLaSuperEstacion/Actualidad/visorNota.aspx?id=5572&tpcont=0 |title=Segunda edición de esta "lectura para el baño" |publisher=Circuito Onda |date=March 10, 2011 |access-date=December 21, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531092526/http://www.unionradio.net/OndaLaSuperEstacion/Actualidad/visorNota.aspx?id=5572&tpcont=0 |archive-date=May 31, 2012 }} She also worked for Sexto Poder newspaper{{cite web|author=Sexto Poder |url=http://www.6topoderweb.com/2011/12/18/la-ultima-entrevista-el-cancer-fue-un-companero-que-me-ayudo-a-vivir-distinto/ |title=La última entrevista de Eva Ekvall: El cáncer fue un compañero que me ayudó a vivir distinto |publisher=Sexto Poder |date=December 17, 2011 |access-date=December 21, 2011}} as an online interviewer by means of BBM, the first of its kind on the Venezuelan printed media.

As a model, Ekvall was frequently featured in magazines including Sambil and Ocean Drive.[http://www.sambilmall.com/revista/2005/03_num_56/eva.asp Sambil Mall] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927120245/http://www.sambilmall.com/revista/2005/03_num_56/eva.asp |date=September 27, 2007 }}

Personal life

Ekvall married radio producer John Fabio Bermúdez in September 2007.{{cite news|url=http://www.noticias24.com/gente/noticia/2443/las-confesiones-de-eva-ekvall/|title=Las confesiones de Eva Ekvall|date=September 30, 2007|access-date=March 22, 2011|newspaper=Noticias24|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322130153/http://www.noticias24.com/gente/noticia/2443/las-confesiones-de-eva-ekvall/|archive-date=March 22, 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2007/09/16/qhay_art_galletas-de-la-fortu_469823.shtml|title=Despedida de solteros en pareja|date=September 16, 2007|access-date=March 22, 2011|newspaper=El Universal}} The couple had one daughter, Miranda, born in July 2009.{{cite news|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/07/30/til_art_en-capsulas_1498076.shtml|title=Eva Ekvall se convirtió en madre|date=July 30, 2009|access-date=March 22, 2011|newspaper=El Universal}}

=Cancer=

In February 2010, just months after giving birth to her only child, Ekvall was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, and underwent eight months of treatment that included chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a double radical mastectomy.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/20/venezuelan-beauty-queen-eva-ekvall|title=Venezuelan beauty queen shows a new look: bald and recovering from cancer|date=February 20, 2011|access-date=March 22, 2011|newspaper=The Guardian|author=Rory Carroll|location=London}} She chronicled this experience in a book of photographs, Fuera de Foco (Out of Focus), released in December 2010. She went on to become an advocate for SenosAyuda, a cancer awareness group.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

=Death=

When told to have had a recurrence of her disease, Ekvall moved to the United States and checked into University General Hospital in Houston, Texas. Despite the intense medical treatment, her health condition began deteriorating and she died in the afternoon of December 17, 2011.{{Cite web | url = http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/beauty-queen-dead-at-28-20111219-1p1f7.html | work = Sydney Morning Herald| title = Beauty queen dead at 28 | date = December 19, 2011 | access-date = January 12, 2014 }} In a statement, Ekvall's family said her remains were to be cremated in Houston.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Ekvall's death brought an outpouring of condolences from Venezuelans, including some prominent artists and politicians. Ekvall's husband posted a photo on Twitter Sunday showing a close-up of his hand holding hers, resting on a hospital bed, with the words "Always together... I love you wife".{{cite news|url=http://www.vanitatis.com/noticias/2011/12/18/eva-ekvall-miss-venezuela-2000-fallece-victima-de-un-cancer-16940/|title=Eva Ekvall, Miss Venezuela 2000, fallece víctima de un cáncer|date=December 18, 2011|newspaper=Vanitatis|access-date=December 18, 2011|archive-date=January 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120108011942/http://www.vanitatis.com/noticias/2011/12/18/eva%2Dekvall%2Dmiss%2Dvenezuela%2D2000%2Dfallece%2Dvictima%2Dde%2Dun%2Dcancer%2D16940/|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.perfil.com/contenidos/2011/12/18/noticia_0010.html|title=A los 28 años, murió la ex Miss Venezuela Eva Ekvall|date=December 18, 2011|newspaper=Perfil.com|access-date=December 18, 2011|archive-date=November 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114022245/http://www.perfil.com/contenidos/2011/12/18/noticia_0010.html|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web | url = https://news.yahoo.com/former-miss-venezuela-dies-breast-cancer-28-193031133.html | title = Former Miss Venezuela dies of breast cancer at 28| publisher = Yahoo | date = December 20, 2011 | first = Ian | last = James| access-date = January 12, 2014}} On March 1, 2012, her husband established the Eva Ekvall Foundation.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}