"Sweet angel. Fly high": Influencer who documented battle with rare cancer dies at 26
Sydney Towle, an American content creator, was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile ducts, when she was only 23. Instead of hiding the disease, she chose to document it in incredible detail for more than a million followers on social media. "No one knows for sure what will happen," she said. She adopted the motto from the movie "Finding Nemo": "Just keep swimming."
Sydney Towle, an American content creator who captivated more than a million users on social media and documented an inspiring three-year battle with a rare bile duct cancer, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 26. Her family announced her death the following day, on Thursday, in an emotional post on Instagram: "We will love you forever, Sydney. I am so proud of the strength with which you fought. I love you."
Her brother, Austin Towle, and her mother, Elizabeth Morrow, shared the news with Sydney's large audience in a TikTok video: "Sid passed away peacefully last night, after nearly three years of battling cholangiocarcinoma. She fought very hard, and we are so proud of her. We thank you all for the support over the years." Her mother added: "We love you and thank you for all the warm messages of support and love. We appreciate it very much, and she will not be forgotten."
A diagnosis that changed life
Towle was born on November 15, 1999, in Massachusetts and grew up in Florida. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2022, where she studied political science and environmental science, and later worked as a social media manager at Epic Games. At that time, she lived in Los Angeles, surfed, ran, and posted dance videos and selfies from the beach — the normal life of an energetic young woman.
Exactly three years ago, when she was 23, Towle discovered swelling and a burning sensation in her abdomen. Doctors initially thought it was a hernia, but sent her for an ultrasound just to be safe. "The doctor told me, 'I'll send you for an ultrasound, just to be sure,'" Towle told the TODAY website. "The ultrasound showed a solid mass." The diagnosis was cholangiocarcinoma — a rare and aggressive cancer of the bile ducts, usually diagnosed in people over 50, making her case particularly unusual.
Five months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy managed to reduce the size of the tumor, and later most of it was removed surgically. However, some cancer cells remained on the liver, so the medical team continued to monitor them. A few months later, an MRI scan revealed a new lesion, which doubled in size within just a month.
"I'm not a TV show"
After moving to New York, Towle began working with a new team of doctors. At the same time, she continued to share the details of her illness journey on TikTok. She documented grueling chemotherapy treatments and hospitalizations, but also quiet trips and internal reflections on life and approaching death.
"I try to show the bright side of it, and that's what encourages me to keep posting, especially when I'm not in a good state," she said. "It always helps people feel that they are not the only ones going through something so challenging." Towle integrated the disease into her lifestyle — including a trip to Spain, where she documented a hiking trip, and her mother helping her cope with hair loss from the treatments.
She also dealt with users who questioned the credibility of her illness. "I'm not a TV show that you're watching," she said in a profile published by The New York Times. "I'm not a fake character. I'm a human." Melinda Bachini, from the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, noted that Towle succeeded as an influencer in making her followers rethink life with a serious illness, promoting the importance of funding research and the beauty of living in the present moment.
The last months
In May of this year, when the disease was in an advanced stage, she traveled to Florida to participate in Miami Swim Week, where she walked the runway in swimwear specially designed for a post-cancer body. Shortly before that, an oncologist recommended she begin palliative care, but Towle refused to accept the decision: "We're not at the place where we stop fighting." She moved to another specialist and participated in a clinical trial for tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, which caused her persistent pain.
In June, she shared that the cancer had spread to the peritoneum and lungs. Shortly after, her account went silent. On August 4, her brother Austin posted that Sydney had been moved to hospice care. The next day, August 5, she passed away.
Austin told PEOPLE magazine that the decision to move his sister to hospice was necessary for her comfort. "She was alive, but in a state close to a coma. But we were around her and telling her stories. How many people can say they fought stage 4 cancer while walking on a runway at a fashion show? She was amazing." According to him, Sydney accepted the decision peacefully.
"Miracles happen every day"
From the beginning of her journey, Towle adopted the motto from the movie "Finding Nemo": "Just keep swimming." "People ask me all the time why I'm so positive," she said. "Why wouldn't I imagine the best-case scenario? No one knows for sure what will happen. Miracles happen every day." Her mother, Elizabeth Morrow, wrote that she saw her daughter become a "guiding light for many people." Towle also planned to run the New York Marathon to raise donations for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, raising more than $10,000.
Towle's family set up a fundraising campaign (GoFundMe) to commemorate her memory — establishing a scholarship at her high school and a seating area in her name on the college campus. Following the announcement of her death, her social media was flooded with comments of support, including from actress Alyssa Milano, who wrote: "Sweet angel. Fly high. Praying for everyone who loved her. She was something truly special."
