‘Am I Going to Die?’- After Overcoming a Deadly Disease, Martina Navratilova Recalls Swaying Thoughts as Her Mind Became a Battlefield

Fighting your own fears is one of the most rewarding experiences of life, albeit the most challenging. Martina Navratilova, who has carried herself through tough moments with pride and confidence, came back stronger from the worst. After regularly battling rivals around the court, has also battled three forms of cancer off it. Earlier this year, the 59-time Grand Slam champion suffered from a double cancer diagnosis.

And now, months after leaving cancer behind, she opened up about overcoming throat and breast cancer at the same time. With the double cancer diagnosis being quite difficult to comprehend and tackle, she revealed the nerve-wracking uncertainty of being a cancer patient.

Martina Navratilova talks about facing throat and breast cancer together

Dealing with two types of cancer at the same time was not an easy thing. But the 66-year-old tennis legend soldiered through it like the fighter she has always been. As October marks breast cancer awareness month, Navratilova shared her journey of fighting a dual cancer battle.

In an interview with Fox Business, the Czech-American former tennis player opened up about the first thought she had when she heard of the double cancer diagnosis. She said, “You vacillate between feeling sorry for yourself to ‘Am I going to die?’ to ‘OK, we’re going to fix this. You can do everything right and still can’t recover. It’s really out of your control.”

After doctors diagnosed the Czech-American legend with Stage 1 throat cancer, doctors also found a lump on her breast in further investigations. It turned out to be Stage 1 breast cancer. She highlighted how she was plagued by the fear of what was coming next. But rather than worrying about the unknown future, she took control of her life and fought through three intense weeks of chemotherapy and radiation.

While Navratilova has been cancer-free for 7 months, the road to recovery and a normal life has been one full of struggles, both emotionally and practically. But with her support system in place, she made it through. In fact, a few months ago, the 66-year-old tennis icon recounted an agonizing narrative of the same trying period when, following her cancer diagnosis, she had a terrified phone discussion with Chris Evert.

READ MORE –‘80s Were Brutal..’- Martina Navratilova Offers Solace to an Honest Fan as She Connects His Pain to Her Own Adversity

When Navratilova had a scary phone call with Evert

After being diagnosed with cancer, one of the first things that Navratilova did was to contact her once-rival and now-friend, Chris Evert. In an interview with the Washington Post, the 68-year-old American tennis legend narrated what she received from Navratilova. When she had a lot of calls from Martina, she knew something was not right.

It was the time when the Czech-American former tennis player was beginning to lose hope, as she was ready to face her biggest fear once again. She even recalled her words and shared, “I’m thinking, “I could be dead in a year.” Along with that, she thought, “Which car am I going to drive in the last year of my life, she asked herself. A Bentley? A Ferrari?”

With humor and a never-say-die spirit, Navratilova had all the right tools for her fight. So after putting the right trust in herself, she came out of the double cancer battle in her own way – etching yet another inspirational story of a survivor.

WATCH THIS STORY –Serena Williams pays tribute to Roger Federer