Rachel Yaffe, a 27-year-old TikTok star with a rare form of liver cancer, has died.
Per her obituary, Yaffe passed away on Oct. 11, leaving behind her parents, brother and sister.
The TikToker was first diagnosed with fibrolamellar carcinoma cancer when she was 20 years old and amassed over 55,000 followers as she began to share updates on her health journey.
After reading the news of Yaffe’s death, many people left comments in her online memory book.
“Fond memories of her on the SPSG field hockey and lacrosse field. She was a star and a gift,” one wrote
Another commented, “Rachel was such a strong inspirational woman. I know she touched the lives of so many people by sharing her story.”
What did Yaffe share about her liver cancer diagnosis?
In 2023, Yaffe offered more details about her diagnosis in a TikTok video, recalling how everyone initially attributed her symptoms to “anxiety.”
However, she soon got an ultrasound and met with a liver specialist who told her that she had a 20-centimeter tumor on her liver that was blocking the blood flow to her calves and causing shoulder pain. After undergoing a biopsy, Yaffe learned that her tumor was a “super rare adolescent liver cancer.”
In recent years, Yaffe has kept her followers updated on the highs and lows of her cancer journey. In January 2024, she revealed that she’d recently started undergoing chemotherapy treatments again.
A few months later, Yaffe had a tumor in her left lung that was pushing on her heart. After the tumor caused bleeding, she underwent a procedure and radiation to treat it. As a result, she had trouble walking and moving.
In June 2024, the TikToker gave an update on the immunotherapy infusion treatments that had made her feel “so sluggish and tired.”
“I’ve been being really compassionate with myself because you know, life is hard, we go through things, we gotta rest,” she said in a video.
In July 2024, Yaffe filmed a video of herself undergoing proton therapy, a form of radiation. The same month, Yaffe said she was figuring out her treatment plan with her medical team, which also included an “alternative, integrated group of practitioners.”
Yaffe shared her last TikTok post in September and revealed that she “lost so much of my strength” during radiation treatments. The social media star also said she was focusing on a “very strict food (regimen) for cancer healing.”
“I’m working on really just focusing on the small things that bring me joy and really, really prioritizing my mental health as well,” she said.
