United News of Bangladesh

Sydney Towle, a social media creator who openly documented her life with a rare form of cancer while maintaining an optimistic outlook, has died at the age of 26, her family said. Towle was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the bile ducts, in August 2023. Her mother, Elizabeth Morrow, and brother, Austin Towle, announced her death in a video posted to her TikTok account. Her brother said Towle died peacefully after an almost three-year battle with the disease. He said the family was proud of her strength and grateful for the support she received from her followers. Her mother also thanked people for their messages and said her daughter would not be forgotten. The family described Towle as “an endless ray of sunshine” and someone who had been a friend to many. Towle was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on Nov. 15, 1999, and grew up in Hobe Sound, Florida, according to The New York Times. She died at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, the newspaper reported. Towle was already active on social media before her diagnosis, sharing videos about her daily life, including her love of the beach and outdoors. She was also an avid surfer and runner. After being diagnosed at 23, she began sharing an honest account of her illness and treatment while continuing to enjoy her hobbies, friendships, travel and personal style. Her TikTok account eventually attracted more than 1 million followers. Shortly after her diagnosis, Towle posted a video saying she was in good spirits and that the experience had made her appreciate life even more. That positive outlook became a central part of her online presence. Her posts showed her running, traveling and spending time with friends alongside updates from hospital rooms and chemotherapy appointments. In February, her mother wrote about the need for greater research funding for the rare cancer and said her daughter had become “a beacon of hope for so many.” She said people regularly told Towle that her openness about her experience had helped them through their own difficulties. Towle graduated from Dartmouth College in 2022 with degrees in government and environmental studies. She later worked as a social media manager at Epic Games. She had also planned to run the 2026 New York City Marathon in November to raise funds for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. She had already raised more than $10,000 for the organization, which supports cancer research and provides resources to patients and caregivers. In a LinkedIn post, Towle acknowledged that running a marathon while dealing with cancer might seem unrealistic but said hope had been an important part of her experience. Towle is survived by her mother and brother. Her father, Philip Towle, died in 2016.