Former Miss Jamaica Universe on life support machine

Davina Henry, Staff Reporter

Former Miss Jamaica Universe, Shakira Martin, is currently on a life support machine in a Florida hospital.

Martin's mother, Andrea Hall, made the revelation in a Facebook post late Tuesday evening.

"As I sit here with my daughter Shakira Aminah on life support saying good bye with family and friends... sickle cell is no joke please learn about it. Support someone. God bless you Shakira Martin I love you eternally," she wrote.

Martin, 30, who walked away with the title in 2011,  is a long time sickle cell patient.

READ: Shakira Martin is committed

In an interview with The Gleaner after her crowning five years ago,  Martin said she had plans to increase awareness about the sickle cell disease by, helping with research and promoting care options.

She also noted that pain management and body care were necessary aspects of fighting sickle cell.

"You want to try and prevent this crisis from occurring as much as possible," she said at the time.