Saarah Ahmed who was one of the finalists at Miss Universe Great Britain 2020 took her last breath on 13th April 2021 at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle having suffered liver failure and severe colitis. The beauty queen had been battling Kyposcholiotic EDS Type 6 which is a rare condition that affects the connective tissues in the body. The diva’s mother Shefaly Begum broke the news of her daughter passing away and said that she wants to tell her daughter’s story to the world by educating and raising awareness about the syndrome.
Miss Universe Great Britain’s national director Paula Abbandonato took to the official social media of Miss Universe Great Britain to break the news to the world that the beloved Saarah Ahmed has passed away. She posted, “I have organized the Miss Universe Great Britain competition since 2008 and it is not often that I meet a contestant who makes such a lasting impression as Saarah. She was an incredibly beautiful young woman who turned heads when she walked into a room. What was even more inspiring was her determination to use her Miss Universe Great Britain experience to raise awareness of serious illness and disability to help others. The pandemic put a stop to Saarah competing last year, but she and we had every hope that she would return in 2021. Our hearts are broken. This world has lost a beautiful and wonderful soul. Our thoughts and prayers go to her family who we know loved and cared for her so much.”
Saarah was 20-years-old and was studying sociology and psychology A-levels, and was determined to not let her disability stop her from achieving her goals which were to win the Miss Universe Great Britain title. She made a video explaining her condition and was dedicated to raising awareness and educating people about the rare syndrome. “If I was to be Miss Universe Great Britain, I’d bring awareness to hidden disabilities, using myself as an example. I’d show the day-to-day struggles we face. I’d like to raise awareness of Ehler’s Danlos syndrome particularly. Only 15 people are living with my condition in the UK. My condition affects every part of my body. Some problems I face are my bones dislocating every day; extreme pain; heart problems; and curvature of the spine and I’ve had many surgeries to correct that.” she said in her video.
In her video, she had also explained that since she was a little girl, she wanted to be a pageant queen but believed that her condition would not make it happen for her but the zeal to keep working hard and dedicating herself towards achieving her goals helped her to stay firm and strong. She was not only an inspiration for the disabled community but everyone who aspires to be a beauty queen.
We extend our deepest condolences to the family and keeping them in our prayers.
Rest in Peace, beautiful angel.