TikTok creator Sydney Towle is entering hospice care as she continues her yearslong battle with a rare form of cancer, according to an update shared by her brother.
Towle's brother, Austin Towle, announced the news Tuesday, Aug. 4, in a post on TikTok that included a photo of Towle surrounded by family and friends.
"Sydney has been moved to hospice and is surrounded by her friends and family," the text on the post read. He thanked supporters for their "love and support," in the caption.
The 26-year-old has documented her cancer journey for more than 1 million followers on social media over the past few years. The update comes after months of videos in which Towle shared the highs and lows of living with stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that
forms in the bile ducts.
Towles was diagnosed with the rare form of cancer at age 23 and has openly chronicled surgeries, chemotherapy, hospital stays and experimental treatments, all while encouraging her followers to remain hopeful and positive.
In recent months, Towle has been participating in a clinical trial involving tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte, or TIL, therapy, an immunotherapy approach that uses a patient's own immune cells to help target cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. She frequently updated her followers from the hospital as she underwent treatment.
Her last social media updatewas posted July 23, when she shared how one of her favorite bands, Royel Otis, dedicated a song to her at a concert. "Sad to have missed it but so happy it happened," Towle wrote in the caption, before adding that "it's so hard to type but I'm trying my bets [sic]."
Despite setbacks, Towle continued to project optimism online. In one of her recent TikTokvideos, she said she chooses to focus on the possibility of the best outcome rather than dwell on uncertainty. She also acknowledged that comments regarding her prognosis are difficult to read, citing messages such as "she has days left," that often catch up to her.
"People always ask why I'm so positive, and it's like, why would I not envision the best-case scenario, the best way of things working out?" Towle said in a video posted on June 28. "The alternative is to not do that and to just be sad." She then reminded her followers that "miracles happen every day."
@sydtowle ♬ original sound - syd
Towle's latest health update prompted an outpouring of support across social media, where followers flooded her family's post with messages of encouragement and gratitude for sharing her journey.
One follower commented, "She will never be measured by this illness in fact this illness will be measured by her strength. Energy transforms, never dies. Your sister is and will forever be an absolute icon."
"My heart is hurting, I was really hoping a miracle would happen," another person commented under Towle's brother's update. "Syd, millions of people that I’ve never even met you love you and care for you now and beyond, including myself."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TikTok creator Sydney Towle enters hospice amid rare cancer battle
