TikTok star Sydney Towle, who shared her cancer journey online, dies aged 26

In May, Towle posted a series of videos from the hospital where she was receiving treatment for complications related to her cancer.

She shared that her cancer had spread to her peritoneum, a membrane that lines the abdominal and pelvic cavities and protects internal organs.

On 19 May, she posted a video of herself, sitting beside her mother in the hospital, in which she said her oncologist had told her he would no longer treat her cancer, recommending she begin end-of-life care. Towle said she would not accept this and vowed to continue fighting, choosing instead to switch to another specialist.

Despite her illness, she expressed fervent optimism and joy for life on her social media accounts. She often posted videos of herself dancing, getting ready, and having fun with friends.

She recently fulfilled her dream of modelling, walking in a swimsuit for The Chemo Club x Post Swim show at Miami Swim Week.

“Rich in life because my friends choose to spend a Saturday fundraising for cancer research,” Towle wrote in a post in March.

“Go get a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, watch your favourite movie, remember that life is good and bad things happen sometimes but that doesn’t make it a bad life,” Towle wrote in another post last year.

Towle was not shy about showing her stomach, where she had a hepatic artery pump implanted, on social media.

“I have only recently started seeing the resilience and beauty in this body,” she wrote in a post last year, alongside photos of herself in a swimsuit. “Scars that remind me of how far I’ve come. And I’m reminded that dreams only end when you allow them to.”