TikTok star Kaelin Bradshaw has sadly lost the battle against a rare form of bile duct cancer. Less than a year after her diagnosis, the Florida-based influence passed away on Monday morning, October 27, according to her husband Austin’s heartbreaking confirmation on Wednesday (US time). She was 29 years old.
According to a GoFundMe page Kaelin initially launched to help Austin and raise funds for her treatment, Bradshaw was diagnosed with stage four Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).
TikTok star death: Husband opens up
Sharing the devastating news via a TikTok video, her husband said through tears, “From the moment Kaelin was diagnosed she was devastated but also determined, she promised me and our family she was going to fight and never give up, she fulfilled her promise but unfortunately the disease progressed beyond her body’s ability to keep fighting.“
As per Austin’s account, Kaelin lost her cancer battle at 1 am local time, while still holding his hand. He noted that the influencer was not in pain and was surrounded by her family’s love and compassion. “She was not alone, nor was she ever alone throughout this entire journey,” he grieved.
Kaelin Bradshaw’s cancer journey
Just earlier this month, the late social media personality opened up about her previous MRI results, which pointed to the tumour growing in her liver. She eventually told her followers that due to her body’s condition, chemotherapy was no longer an option for her. “But the only thing that’s getting me is that I had to sign a [do not resuscitate] to get here,” Kaelin said at the time. “So I did sign a DNR in my 20s.”
Her final SNS post hit the Internet on October 15, according to People. It turned people to the GoFundMe page she had set up during the uncertain times. Backing her husband for being by her side since the beginning of it all, she said, “He’s stayed with me every single night I’ve been in the hospital and somehow managed to juggle two jobs on top of that. He even sold his truck and boat just to help ease the financial pressure on both of us.”
Back then, Kaelin had even expressed hopes about taking a trip with Austin as soon they got “get the green light to start my next treatment, and we’d love to be financially ready when that time comes.”
In a video released earlier this year, Kaelin divulged that her symptoms began in October 2024. And so, as an influencer she made her mark on social media by documenting her cancer battle.
The Florida star had a following of over 99,000 at the time of writing.
What is Cholangiocarcinoma?
As per the Mayo Clinic, this is an aggressive and rare form of cancer that forms in the bile ducts connecting your liver to gallbladder and small intestine. Although Kaelin was diagnosed with bile duct cancer at such a young age, it generally afflicts those older than age 50.