Sydney Towle [Getty Images]
Sydney Towle [Getty Images]

Sydney Towle, an American woman who documented her battle with a rare cancer on social media and inspired countless young patients, has died at 26.

According to ABC News and other outlets, Towle's family announced Thursday that she "passed away peacefully on the night of Wednesday, Aug. 6, after nearly three years of fighting cholangiocarcinoma."

"Sydney fought so hard and we are so incredibly proud of her," the family said. "Thank you for all the love and support over the past few years. We will never forget her."

Towle began sharing her cancer journey on social media in 2023, when she was 23. She had been diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that forms in the bile ducts of the liver.

She documented everything from chemotherapy sessions to everyday moments with friends, offering comfort and courage to other young cancer patients. Her TikTok following reached about 1 million, and her Instagram following surpassed 200,000.

Even while undergoing treatment, she shared videos of herself dancing at clubs and spending time with friends. More recently, she pursued a lifelong dream of modeling, walking a fashion show runway in a swimsuit.

In May, however, her doctors told her that few treatment options remained. As the cancer had spread to the peritoneum — the membrane lining the abdomen and pelvis — she was advised to shift focus from treatment to end-of-life care.

In a video that resurfaced after her death, Towle urged her followers to be kind to others. "That is the most important advice I can give anyone," she said. "Treat people with compassion and empathy, and treat others the way you want to be treated."

She also left a message for her followers about cherishing everyday life. "Good things and bad things happen in life," she said, "but a bad thing happening doesn't make it a bad life."


bbo@heraldcorp.com