Dota 2 player Flow passes away after cancer battle

Russian Dota 2 player Alexander ‘Flow’ Sazonov has sadly passed away after losing his two-year battle with cancer.

Flow, who was considered to be a standout performer by fans of the Dota 2 amateur ranks, was an offlane player that, throughout his career, represented organizations such as Vega Squadron and Double Dimension.

In 2018, while representing Double Dimension, he took a hiatus from competitive play following his cancer diagnosis at the age of 23. Despite a period of health improvements, Flow passed away on Wednesday, September 30, two and a half years after his initial diagnosis.

Flow’s passing was confirmed by organization B8 esports, who posted to Twitter to offer their condolences to his family and friends.

According to Flow’s VK fan page, he had been feeling healthy until early August when, after undergoing some tests, he learned that the cancer had come back aggressively, and he proceeded to undergo chemotherapy, then developed stomatitis throughout his course.

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Based on the experiences he shared on VK, it appears as though his health deteriorated throughout the chemotherapy course and, despite feeling better at times, he unfortunately passed on September 30.

In the announcement on VK, his passing was confirmed, and his resilience shared with his fans. “Sasha left us this morning. He did not give up and until the very end believed that he could defeat the disease.”

The Dota 2 community has paid tribute to Flow, and compassion for his family’s loss, most notably from the CIS community who have lost one of their own.

Flow’s passing is a sad reminder of how short life can be, and we offer our sincerest condolences to Flow’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time.