Sydney Towle, a content creator, died on Wednesday at the age of 26.
Days after her family shared that she was in hospice care, her social media confirmed that she had passed away from bile duct cancer-related complications.
Towle, who graduated from Dartmouth in 2023, was working a remote marketing job and creating online content on the side when severe abdominal pain sent her to the doctor.
Shortly afterwards, she was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer.
She shared her journey with over one million followers as she documented both the painful reality of her treatment and her love for travel.
Her posts captured moments ranging from using ice packs during chemotherapy to hiking in Spain and taking a solo trip through Europe following gallbladder and liver surgery.
Through her social media posts, Towle was able to reshape how people viewed cancer patients.
Leaders at the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation praised her for giving a voice to young adults with cancer, raising awareness for research, and teaching others to appreciate the present.
As she once shared in a video, bad moments happen, but they do not define the quality of a life.
In 2024, Towle relocated to New York City to receive treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after cancer was detected in her liver.
She marked the transition by posting a video of herself dancing happily on a city street to Taylor Swift’s song “Welcome to New York.”
Around the same time, a group of online trolls gathered on Reddit, where they scrutinized her social media content.
They analyzed her statements, emotional state, wardrobe, hair, and physical symptoms, and questioned the authenticity of her diagnosis.
Convinced that it was all a massive hoax, the online posters analyzed the medical details she shared, concocted false evidence of a conspiracy, and ridiculed her actions.
Certain users contacted her corporate sponsors to demand they terminate their partnerships, while an anonymous individual went so far as to message her healthcare providers directly.
While the online harassment and false claims tormented Towle, she chose not to respond publicly to her critics.
Instead, she stayed focused on producing the videos that served as her primary source of comfort and purpose.
Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on November 15, 1999, Sydney Elizabeth Towle was the daughter of Elizabeth Morrow and Philip Towle. She grew up and spent her childhood in Hobe Sound, Florida.
She attended Dartmouth College, where she earned a degree in government and environmental studies in 2022.
She was preceded in death by her father in 2016. She is survived by her mother and her brother, Austin.
