National cyclist diagnosed with brain tumor dies

A mother’s worst dread was realised in the wee hours of Monday when her beloved daughter lost the battle with a terminal illness.

Fifteen-year-old Beyonce Ross, a student of the Lower Corentyne Secondary School in Rose Hall Town, East Berbice, possessed a wealth of potential and had excelled at academics and sports.

Most popularly known for her remarkable performance at last year’s National Schools Cycling competition, where she copped three gold medals, the young athlete had been described as determined and jovial.
The life of Beyonce Ross took a tragic turn in February of 2018, when she began visiting doctors to determine the cause of the severe headaches that she was experiencing. On the first occasion, the pain and vomiting was said to be the result of a minor illness, and she was treated and sent home. Just a month later, after the pain continued, Ross was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

It was then that Beyonce’s mother, Yonette Clarke, began pleading with anyone who would listen to her cry to help her daughter return to her state of normalcy. Meanwhile, Ross’s condition continuously deteriorated over the passing months.
A glimmer of hope arose when doctors determined that the tumour, sitting in the middle of the teen’s brain, was not cancerous and could be removed with surgery done overseas. The teen’s mother, Yonette Clarke, was very optimistic that her daughter would be able to pull through.

Distraught relatives clung tenaciously to their hope even as Beyonce was admitted to hospital on Thursday last for a seizure and fell unconscious. Transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) from Berbice, she was placed on life support.

Most regrettably, she passed away at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where she had been on life support ever since having a seizure and losing unconsciousness on Thursday, June 7, 2018.

Guyana Times Sport would like to tender sincerest condolences to Yonette Clarke, the mother of the late Beyonce Ross, and to all those left bereaved at the passing of this promising star.