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Sinead Butler
May 10, 2024
31-year-old TikTok star announces her own death from Metastatic Sarcoma
TikTok/cancerpatientmd
TikToker Dr Kimberley Knix has sadly passed away from metastatic sarcoma on Wednesday, May 8 - and announced her own death on the platform.
The 31-year-old from Calgary, Alberta gained over 147,000 followers on TikTok where she documented her cancer journey after she received her diagnosis three years ago when she was 28.
During this time, Dr Nix had been in her third and final year of her internal medicine core residency.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE last month, she expressed that her ultimate goal for her platform was to help educate people on sarcoma and to appreciate the "beautiful parts of life."
"Symptoms of sarcoma are so important because there is no screening test. My symptom was the most common symptom in soft tissue sarcoma. [Everything was] completely normal — including all my lab values — except for a small, but rapidly growing lump in my left leg," she told the publication.
@cancerpatientmd As a #stage4 #sarcoma #cancerpatient on #palliative treatments, I have no regrets about my training - but understand now more than ever how precious each moment with our loved ones is. #chronicillness #chemotherapy #md #medtok
Undifferentiated pleomorphic typically occurs in the legs, arms, or back of the abdomen, as per the National Cancer Institute.
Dr Nix added how the lump "changed rapidly" from the size of a pea to the size of a golf ball in just over a week which led her to go see a doctor.
But her diagnosis didn't stop her from living life as the TikToker also said: "I only have one thing in my life that is tough or hard right now. Yes, it is serious, but [it's] just one thing."
"Life is so much more. It’s friends, family, pets, your career, the perfect temperature first sip of tea, the beautiful snow-tipped mountains."
On May 8, the day Dr Nix sadly died, she posted a final video to her followers to announce her death.
"Hello followers, if you're seeing this message I have passed away peacefully," she began.
"For those of you who don't know me, my name is Kim, hi! It's so nice to meet you and you're welcome to check out all the cool sarcoma facts, information and my lived experience with death and dying with sarcoma cancer. You don't have to go just because you're new."
@cancerpatientmd My journey here is over and i cant thank each and every one of you enough! You have all made me so happy and your comments and support are more than enough to have gotten anyone thriugh anything! If you wish, Please donate through my link in bio to sarcoma cancer research and follow my husband in his updates @LightestCheese 💕 #death #dying #palliative #sarcoma #undifferentiatedpleomorphicsarcoma #cancer #cancerpatient #md #resident #medschool
She continued, "I love you all, thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. I'm in happy tears because you've all made me find so much purpose in the end of my life."
Tributes have flooded in from Dr Nix's followers in response to her heartbreaking video about her passing.
One person said: "Aww sweet Kim Rest in Peace beautiful lady. Massive love to Mr Kim and the fur kids. Thanks for all you gave and loving us."
"Rest easy Dr Kim. You truly were a light here," another person wrote.
Someone else added: "If TikToks could be nominated for Pulitzers in reporting, this would have been the one. The way you told and lived this story for us has been a breath of grace."
"This one hurts…This world lost a beautiful soul," a fourth person commented.
Dr Nix is survived by her husband, Michael MacIsaac.
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