'If you’re reading this, it means I have died' - tributes to teacher who shared cancer battle

A mum-of-two who shared her journey battling cancer online has died after her account shared a heartbreaking post which said: "If you’re reading this, it means I have died."

Kate Rackham, from Manchester, was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer at the age of 39 - she posted as @kate_rackham on X / Twitter with the title 'Teacher with Cancer'.

Kate had 14,000 followers on the social media platform at the time of the post and shared updates and feelings through her journey with the disease.

Her last health update was on June 7 when she posted that medics told her there was nothing more they could do and was at home surrounded by her family.

Kate reportedly had a final message saved in her drafts ready to be posted, which duly was on June 13.

"If you're reading this, it means I have died," the post said.

"But do not cry for me. I have lived my life on my own terms, the way I have wanted to. I joined X because I needed an outlet, what I got was so much more. You made me feel validated in my feelings and much less alone. Thank you"

Kate leaves behind her husband Mark and two daughters.

She was a co-founder of the Fighting to be Heard Foundation and hoped the campaign would spread awareness about the disease and the impact it can have.

'RIP Kate' was one of the top trending terms on X / Twitter on June 13 as news of her death emerged and lots of social media users paid tribute to the teacher.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.