Influencer Sydney Towle has hit back at trolls who have said she only has ‘just days left’ amid her ongoing battle with a rare bile duct cancer.
The content creator, 26, who has been documenting her journey with cholangiocarcinoma for the past three years, said it is ‘hard to read’ speculative comments about her life expectancy.
But in a strong act of defiance, Towle insisted that she refuses to let the negativity destroy her optimism.
Taking to TikTok on Sunday, Towle said: ‘I won’t lie, the comments sometimes really get to me when I see them saying like, “She has days left,” or just sad things like that.
‘It’s hard to read stuff like that about yourself. And I did have a moment today where I kind of freaked out because of some of the things people were saying.’
Towle then vowed that she will not let the negative commenters ruin her hope.
‘Ultimately, it’s my life, and if I believe that things will work out and be good, that’s my choice, even if that doesn’t happen to be true,’ she continued.
‘Nobody knows what’s going to happen and miracles happen every day and things change constantly.’
Sydney Towle admitted it’s hard to read comments online saying she ‘only has days to live’
The content creator has been battling rare bile duct cancer for the last three years
Towle was just 23 when she was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in early August 2023 after doctors discovered a ‘sizable mass’ in her stomach that had been growing for four months.
Bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma, is an aggressive type of cancer that starts in the bile ducts.
It can affect people of different ages, but it is more commonly diagnosed in adults over the age of 50. Towle’s tumor arose from a genetic mutation.
The social media star’s followers were quick to rally around her following the upload.
‘Never stop the positive thinking!’ one said. ‘That is the right attitude.’
‘Not a single one of us is guaranteed next week, or even tomorrow,’ wrote another. ‘That’s what people tend to forget, sending you all the good vibes.’
‘I hope the comment section is listening to you and really hearing you,’ added a third. ‘It has been a very disrespectful place the last few weeks.’
Last week, Towle shared a heartbreaking update about her experience with a rare bile duct cancer as she admitted that she is ‘sick of the constant pain.’
Towle is remaining positive and stresses ‘no one knows what’s going to happen’
‘I press the button for pain medication, but it’s never enough,’ she wrote in a blog post published on Substack.
‘But it’s also too much. I don’t want to sleep all day [and] become a zombie.’
She then quoted what she had been told by medical professionals about her prognosis and potential end of life care.
Towle’s post came weeks after her oncologist said that he will no longer treat her and that he wanted her to transition to end-of-life care.
‘I said no,’ the influencer said in a video. ‘We are not at the point where we’re giving up.’
She is currently part of a clinical trial involving tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.
