TikTok and Instagram personality Sydney Towle died Wednesday at age 26, her family announced on social media. Towle gained a significant following for sharing her journey with Stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of bile duct cancer.
Her family described her as "an endless ray of sunshine" and "a daughter, sister, and friend to so many" in their statement. The announcement followed a social media post from her brother indicating she had moved to hospice care.
Towle, a Dartmouth College graduate who worked in marketing, was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in 2023 after discovering a lump and experiencing pain in her abdomen. Initially treated for what was believed to be a hernia, the diagnosis revealed the advanced and aggressive nature of her illness.
Initially sharing selfies and dance videos, Towle shifted her content to document her experiences with Stage 4 cancer. She relocated to New York for treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, becoming part of the "CancerTok" community online. Her TikTok audience grew to over 1.1 million followers, with more than 214,000 on Instagram.
Her posts often depicted the difficult realities of her treatment, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but also her efforts to maintain a semblance of a typical young adult life. Towle documented a solo trip across Spain in 2024 and participated in a runway show during Miami Swim Week in May.
In a 2024 interview with NBC’s “Today,” Towle stated her intention to bring light to her situation, sharing that her posts seemed to help others feel less alone. "It always seems to help people feel less alone, like they’re not the only ones that are going through something that’s very challenging,” she said.
Towle's online presence also drew criticism, with some individuals on Reddit questioning her motives. However, her oncologist, Dr. Ghassan Abou-Alfa, refuted these claims in a 2025 article in The New York Times, affirming that a young patient can appear well while still facing a serious illness.
In May, Towle shared that she had switched hospitals and was being advised to begin end-of-life care, but expressed a determination to continue fighting.