Influencer Miroslava Duma Reveals She Has a Rare Lung Disease

"I suddenly stopped running the marathon and realized how much I love life," Duma wrote on Instagram Sunday

Miroslava Duma
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Russian influencer and editor Miroslava Duma has revealed she’s been diagnosed with a rare lung disease.

In a raw Instagram post on Sunday, Duma, 34, shared that she’s spent the past few months fighting for her life after being given only “7 months to live.”

“Earlier this year I was diagnosed with a rare lung disease, and given 7 months to live. It was crazy scary then, but looking back, I realise that the past few months of recovery were possibly the happiest months of my entire life,” Duma wrote alongside a photo, which shows smiling softly.

Duma revealed that her harrowing health diagnosis has helped her change her perspective on life completely.

“I suddenly stopped running the marathon and realized how much I love life, how beautiful our world is and how much I want to stay here — with the people I love.”

“For the first time in my life, I saw the bright blue of skies. And the beautiful green of trees. As if I had lived on a different planet before,” Duma wrote.

“I wake up happy, just because I can spend one more day here. Not asking for more or trying to run faster.”

“My entire life I was seeking approval and obsessing over “likes” both in physical and virtual worlds, without realizing that I actually had to learn how to “like” myself first,” Duma continued.

Duma contributes her fast-paced lifestyle to her ailing health.

“Years of self-criticism and doubt, stress, dieting, physically, mentally and emotionally pushing and pushing myself got my immune system to collapse and I had made myself fatally sick.”

“I now realise that these past months were almost the most creative months of my entire 34 years. Yet success to me today is not measured by external indicators anymore, but by what’s inside,” Duma wrote.

“It is measured by my own health, and the health of those I love. It is measured by how I choose to contribute to the world,” Duma shared.

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“For the past 2 years, the Universe caused me to experience a number of remarkably serendipitous events that sometimes felt surreal; like how a silly mistake, made by my lawyer, led me to an early diagnosis, and gave me a chance to live. I saw signs everywhere. As if someone was telling me: “don’t give up”. Today I continue to follow my big dream, and genuinely believe it can help save our planet. No matter what. And against all odds.”

“One day I hope I’ll be able to tell you all about it,” Duma continued.

Duma concluded her post by thanking “the wonderful people in my life,” jokingly adding, “I love you with all of my heart (and my lungs).”

Duma did not say exactly what she has been diagnosed with or her prognosis but did say she was in recovery.

Miroslava Duma
Miroslava Duma. Dave Benett/Getty Images

The influencer is married to fellow entrepreneur Aleksey Mikheev and is a mom of three.

Duma became a prominent figure in the fashion industry in the early 2000s due to her bold street style looks. She was often photographed at New York and Paris Fashion Week.

She served as project director at Harper’s Bazaar and has done freelance work for the Russian versions of Vogue, Forbes Woman and Glamour.

In 2011, Duma founded Buro 24/7 a website for art, film, fashion and music. She also founded Future Tech Lab — an investment and technology company — in 2017.

Just last year, Duma found herself under fire when fashion designer Ulyana Sergeenko sent her a bouquet of flowers with the note, “To my n—– in paris.”

Duma shared the card on Instagram, prompting severe backlash. The influencer later issued an apology on Instagram writing, “I sincerely apologize for my regrettable Instagram story that went out.” The apology has since been captured by Elle.

“The phrase referenced is from a Kanye West and Jay-Z song by the same title. The word is utterly offensive, and I regret promoting it and am very sorry. I deeply respect people of all backgrounds and detest racism or discrimination of any kind.”

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