Washington [US], August 7 (ANI): The death of popular influencer Sydney Towle has left her family, friends and followers heartbroken.
According to PEOPLE magazine, the 26-year-old content creator, who openly shared her battle with a rare form of cancer on social media, passed away on August 5. Before her death, she left behind a simple but powerful message about kindness and compassion.
According to the publication, less than a year before she died, Sydney appeared on Danielle Robay’s Question Everything podcast, where she spoke about what she would want people to remember if she ever made one final video.
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Reflecting on the message she hoped would stay with people, Sydney said, “Well, what I would want to tell people, I think, I’ve actually thought about this before. Like, if I were to make one more video, what would I say? And it was my last video, I think I would just remind people, what I’ve said to you already, is to treat people with kindness.”
She went on to say that kindness and empathy can make a real difference in someone’s life, adding, “Just treat people with compassion, empathy, and treat people the way you want to be treated. It sounds so cliche, and it’s such a common saying, but I feel like we never know what someone is going through. And if you could spread, like, a little bit of kindness, a little bit of positivity goes such a long way for someone else, and it could make their day, their week. That’s the thing that I would always say.”
According to PEOPLE, Sydney was only 23 when she was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer that mostly affects people over the age of 50. Throughout her treatment, she kept sharing her journey online and inspired many with her strength.
Her family announced her death on social media on Thursday, sharing a photo of Sydney standing on a mountaintop with the sun shining behind her.
The caption read, “We will always love you so much, Sydney. I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you.” The post also remembered her as “an endless ray of sunshine. A daughter, a sister and friend to so many.”
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Earlier this year, Sydney had spoken to PEOPLE about the shock she felt after one of her doctors told her it was time to begin end-of-life care instead of continuing treatment.
Recalling that difficult moment, she said, “I was definitely in complete shock because, as my mom and I had said in that video that I made afterwards, we had never been told that that was the path that we were going towards. No one had ever mentioned hospice or end-of-life care. So to be told that, we were both expecting just to have a conversation with him that morning about my treatment plan.”
After her passing, Sydney’s brother Austin also remembered her determination. Speaking to PEOPLE, he said that although hospice became necessary, his sister never gave up.
Sharing the lesson he hopes people remember, Austin said, “She just kept fighting. So I want people to know that it’s never over until it’s over. Don’t give up hope, no matter what. She never did. Not literally until she physically, mentally, emotionally, everything, couldn’t anymore.” (ANI)
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