Months before Sydney Towleโs death, the content creator shared the message she wouldโve liked to tell people in her final video.
On Aug. 6, the 26-year-oldโs family announced that she had died the day before after a battle with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer that forms in the group of tubes, called ducts, that connect the liver, gallbladder and small intestine, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Towleโs had been diagnosed three years ago, and began sharing her journey on social media.
In November 2025, she appeared on journalist Danielle Robayโs โQuestion Everythingโ podcast for an episode titled โToo Young for Cancer: Sydney Towle on Fighting for Her Life at 25.โ
In the resurfaced clip after her death, Robay asked Towle if today was her last day on Earth, what would she tell people? What would she want them to know? Towle said she had been thinking about that question and what sheโd want people to know long after she was gone.
โIโve actually thought about this before,โ she said. โLike, if I were to make one more video, what would I say and it was my last video?โ
โI think I would just remind people … to treat people with kindness,โ she continued.
โThat is literally the biggest thing that I could tell anyone,โ Towle added. โJust treat people with compassion, empathy and treat people the way that you want to be treated.โ
And while she expressed that it โsounds so clichรฉโ and itโs a โcommon saying,โ she added, โWe never know what someone is going through.โ
โAnd if you could spread, like, a little bit of kindness, a little bit of positivity goes such a long way for someone else and it could make their day, their week,โ she said. โThatโs the thing that I would always tell people.โ
In the Instagram post announcing her death, Towleโs family called her โan endless ray of sunshine.โ
โWe will always love you so much Sydney. I am so proud of how hard you fought. I love you,โ they added in the caption.
In a statement to TODAY.com, her family added that they are so proud of how hard she fought amid her cancer battle and โfor sharing her journey with so many people.โ
โShe wanted to raise awareness for rare cancers and was passionate about promoting self-advocacy. We will continue her legacy and honor her in every way we can,โ they concluded.
In a November 2024 interview with TODAY.com, Towle detailed her cancer diagnosis, as well as the chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments she underwent.
โThereโs not one set treatment plan because itโs such a rare cancer,โ she said at the time.
She said that sharing her experience on TikTok also helped her connect with others and process her situation.
โThey reach such a wide audience that I will get messages from people my age or with parents (who have it),โ she said. โItโs been a really great way to connect with people even if itโs not my specific cancer.โ
Towle also stressed the importance of being โtransparentโ and how it helped her feel less alone.
โIโm bringing light to this, and so that has encouraged me to continuing posting and sharing, especially when I am not doing well or when I receive good news,โ she said. โIt always seems to help people feel less alone, like theyโre not the only ones that are going through something thatโs very challenging.โ