Days after it was announced that TikTok star Rachel Yaffe passed away at the age of 27, the cause of her death has been revealed.
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According to Us Weekly, Yaffe died on Friday, Oct. 11 following a battle with a rare form of liver cancer. Her online obituary reveals that she is survived by her parents, brother, and sister, as well as her grandmother and “loving dog, Layla.”
The private funeral took place in Maryland on Monday, Oct. 14.
Rachel Yaffe revealed in an April 2023 TikTok video that she was diagnosed with cancer when she was 20 years old. “I went to a doctor over the summer, who knew me personally, and she felt around my whole body. She even felt my liver and she didn’t feel anything, but she was like, ‘I can tell in your eyes that you feel like something is wrong with you.”
@rachelkyaffe Pt 2. Rare cancer diagnosis story at age 20 #cancerdiagnosis#diagnosisstory#healingjourney#chronicillness#trustyourbody#cancerhealingjourney ♬ original sound – Rachel Yaffe
She continued, “I feel like everyone was making me feel like it was my anxiety, like, I was crazy… I went the next day to get an ultrasound. I thought I was just allergic to gluten because I was also getting bloated.”
A liver specialist went on to confirm that Yaffe had a “20-centimeter tumor” on her liver. It was blocking blood flow to her calves, which explained the pain in her should.
A Biopsy Confirmed Rachel Yaffe’s Tumor Was Malignant
Unfortunately, a biopsy revealed the tumor, known as a fibrolamellar, was malignant. “It is a super rare, adolescent liver cancer,” Rachel Yaffe explained. “A few days later, I met with the surgeon, who told me he was going to remove it and that everything was gonna be fine, and I believed him.”
Three months after she had the procedure, the cancer recurred in both her liver and lungs. It then progressed to become stage 4.
In early 2024, Rachel Yaffe revealed she decided to move back in with her parents as she underwent proton therapy.
“It made me feel super fatigued, tired, weak. I had some other complications and symptoms going on,” Rachel Yaffe shared in an August TikTok post. “I finally started to feel a little bit strong enough to come back to New York, where my support system of friends are and where I also feel more inspired to go on walks and strengthen my body a little bit.”
Yaffe noted she used a “metabolic approach to cancer healing” by taking walks and eating healthy. She also managed her glucose levels. Last the TikTok star said she was “so happy” to be back in New York City following her treatment.