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TikToker Rachel Yaffe dies aged 27 after battling rare cancer
Yaffe first told fans on TikTok about her stage 4 cancer treatment in September
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TikTok star Rachel Yaffe has died at age 27, after being diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer.
Yaffe’s death was confirmed in an online obituary, which noted she passed away on Friday, October 11, 2024. There were “private” services held for her on Monday, October 14 through Wednesday, October 16th in Lutherville, Maryland.
The obituary noted that all contributions to her family should be donated to Experience Camps, a “no-cost program for grieving children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver,” per the organization’s website.
Last year, Yaffe first shared on her TikTok – where she has more than 55,000 followers – that she had a rare form of cancer.
“I went to a doctor over the summer, who knew me personally, and she felt around my whole body,” she said in a clip, posted in April 2023. “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.’ Which was honestly really nice because I feel like everybody was making me feel like it was my anxiety.”
She explained that a few hours after her appointment, where she got an ultrasound done, her doctor told her to come back in. From there, she met with “another liver specialist” who told her she had a “20 cm tumor in her liver” and needed a biopsy.
“A couple days later, I found out that it was malignant,” she said. “It was called fibrolamellar, which is a super rare adolescent liver cancer. A few days later, I met with a surgeon who told me he was going to remove it and everything was fine.”
In the text over the video, she explained she “had a recurrence three months later in the liver and lungs, which is when [she] kicked into gear with research and healing.”
According to the National Institutes of Health, Fibrolamellar Carcinoma, FLC, is “different from other types of liver cancer because it happens in people who have healthy livers.”
Her last TikTok video was posted in September in which she shared an update about healing during stage 4 cancer. At the time, she noted that she was going through radiation again while sticking to “a strict food regime.”
“It’s been a little bit difficult both physically and mentally,” she said in the video. “I’m really just focusing on the small things that bring me joy. And I’m really, really prioritizing my mental health, as well.”
Yaffe is survived by her parents, Linda and Wayne Yaffe, her brother Jordan Yaffe, her sister Jessica Yaffe, and her grandmother Sydney Bass.
The New York City-based TikTok star frequently posted about her cancer journey on her account. In addition, she’s posted videos about her health, from her morning food regime to her skincare routine.
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