Sydney Elizabeth Towle, a social media creator known for sharing her journey with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, died Wednesday at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She was 26. Her family announced earlier this week that she had entered hospice care. The cause of death was complications from metastatic cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducts.

Towle, a 2022 graduate of Dartmouth College, initially lived in Los Angeles, where she worked remotely in marketing, surfed, and posted regularly on TikTok. Her diagnosis came after experiencing abdominal symptoms, including a bulge and burning sensation, which led to a hospital visit and subsequent discovery of the cancer. Despite the diagnosis, she maintained an active online presence, drawing more than a million followers with content that blended moments of daily life, travel, and candid reflections on living with a serious illness.

Following surgery that removed her gall bladder and part of her liver, Towle chronicled her treatment and recovery through videos that ranged from lighthearted dance clips to somber monologues about the isolation and challenges she faced. She shared experiences such as hiking in Spain, attempts to prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss using ice packs with her mother, and reflections on how cancer affected aspects of her life, including dating.

In late 2024, after a recurrence of cancer in her liver, Towle relocated to New York City to receive treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She marked the move with a video of herself dancing on a city street to Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York,” demonstrating her resilience and continued zest for life amid ongoing health challenges.

Towle's approach to cancer was characterized by a desire to challenge societal perceptions of illness, particularly the expectation that cancer patients should appear debilitated or bleak. Melinda Bachini, chief patient officer of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, noted Towle’s ability to promote greater understanding of young adults living with cancer and the importance of research funding.

However, Towle’s online presence also attracted skepticism and harassment. A group of individuals on Reddit formed with the explicit goal of disputing the authenticity of her cancer narrative, dissecting her videos, and questioning the medical details she shared. Some participants of this group sent messages to brands affiliated with Towle and contacted her medical providers. Towle endured this abuse privately and did not publicly respond. In interviews, she expressed sorrow that people struggled to accept that living with cancer could look different than expected.

Born November 15, 1999, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Towle was raised in Hobe Sound, Florida. She majored in government and environmental studies at Dartmouth. She is survived by her mother, Elizabeth Morrow, and her brother, Austin. Towle’s brother described her as someone who faced her illness openly and encouraged others by conveying that “it’s OK not to be OK.” Towle often closed her posts with the phrase, “You’ve got to just keep swimming,” reflecting her determination to find meaning and joy despite a terminal diagnosis.