A 21-year-old TikTok star has died, just weeks after revealing to her followers that her doctor had given her only a short time to live.
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PEOPLE confirmed Dominique McShain’s passing on Wednesday. The New Zealand-based influencer had shared her diagnosis of incurable colorectal cancer just a year earlier. The precise date of McShain’s death remains unknown.
On just April 6, McShain shared a poignant Instagram post, announcing to her followers that she would no longer be creating content as she approached the final chapter of her life.
“I want to be direct with you all: this will be my final update on my cancer journey until I have passed away,” McShain wrote then. “I’ve recently been given a prognosis about five days ago of only a few days to a few weeks to live.”
She explained that her liver was “failing rapidly,” which caused her cancer to spread and made it impossible to continue treatments, including the chemotherapy she had been receiving for the past seven months.
“At this point, I’ve transitioned into end-of-life care, focusing on pain relief and managing side effects, with so much time spent in both the hospital and hospice facilities,” she continued.
Dominique McShain Said She ‘Won the Lottery’ Despite Health
The Kiwi TikTok creator shared that, although her life was short, she felt she had truly lived it fully, making the most of every moment.
“I won the lottery with a family that loves me unconditionally, friends who would 10000% donate a liver to me or do anything they could (and probably argue over who gets to do it), and the sweetest husband, Sean, who’s been my rock through everything – before and after my diagnosis,” McShain added.
McShain got engaged to her boyfriend, Sean Suson, in May 2024, a milestone that coincided with her 21st birthday and came just months after her cancer diagnosis.
The couple celebrated their love by officially tying the knot that July.
Though she admitted to “key adult moments,” she admitted to looking forward to an afterlife “free of pain.’
“Recently, I’ve been picturing Heaven often — a place where l’ll finally be free from the pain that’s been with me for so long. I imagine myself without the constant suffering, no longer needing medication just to survive the day,” she shared. “I’ll be able to run, to breathe, to feel whole. Though it will hurt to leave you all behind, please know that I will finally be out of pain, and I will be at peace.”
Dominique McShain’s First TikTok Amassed Over 5.5 Million Views
The 21-year-old influencer amassed a following of over 200,000 across social media by raising awareness about the symptoms she encountered during her fight against colon cancer.
In her first TikTok video in May 2024, which received over 5.5 million views, McShain explained how cancer ended her college journey before she could graduate.
“I was, until two weeks ago, a third-year psychology student, and I wanted to do clinical psychology eventually. And that would take another five years to study for,” McShain explained in the video. “Basically, I stopped work and uni because I have such severe cancer, and the treatment is so intense.”
McShain also expressed her desire to raise greater awareness about colorectal cancer.
“I wanted to make a difference somehow and leave something behind and hopefully help people,” McShain said.
“I know that cancer is getting a lot more common in the colon for younger people, so I really wanted to eventually share my symptoms and raise awareness.”