Sad news to report out of Houston, Texas, where Venezuelan beauty queen Eva Ekvall lost her valiant, two-year battle with breast cancer at a hospital on Saturday.

At just 17, Ekvall claimed the crown of Miss Venezuela in 2000, and came in as a third runner-up in the 2001 Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico. She also worked as a television news anchor for Venevision.

Ekvall was diagnosed with the disease in February 2010, and went through chemotherapy, radiation and a mastectomy. She documented her battle with cancer in her memoir Fuera de Foco (translates to "Out of Focus") in which she was pictured on the cover with a shaved head.