Former UFC fighter Ben Askren has had a very rough 2025 as he narrowly escaped death. ‘Funky’ suffered a serious lung infection caused by a staph infection that later escalated to pneumonia. Fortunately, Askren was able to find an organ donor and underwent a double-lung transplant. However, a 14-year-old suffering from cancer, who was a social media influencer with several followers on Instagram, wasn’t as lucky as he was.

For those who aren’t aware who we’re talking about, well, it’s Zuza Beine. She had been battling cancer for over 11 years and had been documenting her journey for the last decade of battling acute myeloid leukemia. Through her videos, Beine had garnered a significant following on social media, accumulating over a couple of million followers. However, her mother announced the news of her tragic passing, which got Ben Askren‘s wife emotional.

Ben Askren’s wife, Amy Askren, revealed that the news of Zuza Beine’s passing left her “heartbroken.” She revealed that she and her family had been praying for young Zuza for years, and the sudden news of her passing had left them in a deep state of sorrow. “Heartbroken. We have been praying for this beautiful girl for years. [Zuza Beine] the prayers won’t stop,” Askren’s wife wrote on her Instagram stories.

In a post shared through Zuza Beine’s Instagram, it was revealed that the 14-year-old “learned to face the hardest circumstances, like her disease, and still live fully.” And, instead of sending flowers to her, the post requested people to help donate to “her recently deceased uncle’s wife and children” through a GoFundMe page, the link for which was shared in the post. As such, her fans have promised to keep her in their prayers and memories.

Fans join Ben Askren’s wife in mourning Zuzu Beine’s passing

Given that Zuza Beine was only 14 years old, the most obvious reaction that fans had was one of disbelief, as a fan wrote, “Nooo,” highlighting that the loss wasn’t only felt by her family but also by her followers. As fans, including Ben Askren’s wife, prayed, a lot of them commented, “Rest in peace.” Checking out her Instagram posts became many of her followers’ daily routine. Substantiating that sentiment, an Instagram user wrote, “Will miss your daily sweetness.”

Zuza Beine has been seen happy and sad in her Instagram posts. Happy when she’s doing things to entertain herself and the fans, and sad when she’s expressing the difficulties of being in the condition that she was. But her perseverance and determination to be strong and be happy were what captured the hearts of her followers and even inspired them. A couple of fans commented, “You were such a light to so many. Love you forever,” and, “Sending you all lots of love. May she rest in her power. What an example of human being,” in that regard.

Moreover, as a fan wrote, “Please accept my sincere condolences, Zusa will be remembered always,” extending his heartfelt condolences, a cancer survivor chimed in the comments section to express his experience of going through that medical condition. He lauded Zuza Beine, commenting, “What a beautiful picture of you! Has a cancer fighter myself I know the outside can look great but inside is all turmoil. Keep fighting. Keep smiling.”

Well, Ben Askren survived his predicament, but sadly, Zuza could not. Tragic news indeed. Zuza Beine may be gone, but she will always be an example of smiling when it’s difficult to do so. Her courage and her smile will always be remembered.