Former FlyToMoon player Flow succumbs to cancer at age 25

Dota 2 pro Alexander "Flow" Sazonov has passed away.  

According to Russian caster Vitalii Nikolaevich "v1lat" Volochai, the offlaner succumbed to cancer after a prolonged battle with the disease. He was 25 years old.

The news was revealed by v1lat on Twitter.

Maincast confirmed the news not long after.

“Flow passed away this morning. The player has been fighting cancer for several years. Maincast Studio sends its condolences to the family and friends of Alexander,” the statement said.

A number of fans and members of the professional scene took to social media to express their sadness over the news. 

Flow had been battling cancer for some time and initially it seemed he was winning the fight. News first broke of his diagnosis in 2018 during his time with Double Dimension, which forced him into a high-risk surgery that left him out of action for most of the year. In interviews, he discussed having serious issues in his torso which severely hindered his day-to-day life and forced him to sleep upright due to severe issues with his breathing. 

Though Flow survived, he also faced a tough road to recovery. Fans hosted fundraisers in order to help him with physical therapy and other similar costs.

Flow returned to action on a full-time basis in 2019, competing in all manners of events with a variety of teams. He gained wider attention when he became a steady presence with FlyToMoon, spending six months with the team before leaving in November 2019. He competed in regional leagues with a number of short-lived teams as recently as August.

It is unclear what led to the sudden decline in his health or how long he has been dealing with these issues. Regardless, this is a sad story for Dota 2 fans around the world.