Featured Image Credit: Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Topics: Health, Cancer, Bowel cancer, Social Media
Anish Vij
Topics: Health, Cancer, Bowel cancer, Social Media
An influencer has announced his own death in a heartbreaking video just weeks after welcoming his first child with his wife.
Utah content creator Tanner Martin shared a joint account (@tannerandshay) with his wife Shay Wright where they had 454k followers. Shay announced his death on 25 June alongside the video message.
The 30-year-old, who was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2020, said he 'had one heck of a life' after welcoming his newborn daughter AmyLou on 15 May.
Having spent the last five years documenting his cancer journey online, he wanted to record a 'lighthearted' video ahead of his death.
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“Hey, it’s me, Tanner, if you’re watching this, I am dead,” Tanner began.
“I decided to make this video announcing my death because I saw someone did that, like, a year or so ago, and I think it’s a good opportunity to get all your thoughts out and also you can be thoughtful about what your partner or spouse might need and she probably needs some time to grieve.”
The social media star said he was looking forward to meeting his wife's father and his grandad in the afterlife.
“I’m excited to see them not in pain and just happy,” he added.
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“I really enjoyed it while I was here. Hopefully, I believe there’s something after this and I’m excited to meet those people, and hopefully we’re hanging out now and making fun of all you nerds.”
The American vlogger insisted that he was excited about the prospect of life after death, calling it a 'new adventure'.
“I’m kind of excited for it a little bit, but not in like a ‘I want to kill myself’ or anything, but I’m excited to see what the experience is like and hopefully it’s good,” he said.
In a second video, Tanner is seen sitting on his sofa with a blanket while his newborn daughter slept beside him.
"Sweetheart, I’ve been so excited to meet you. I love you so much… I’ve been waiting for this for so long," he whispered to her.
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His wish after death was for people who followed his story to continue to support Shay and AmyLou through GoFundMe.
At the time of writing, $458,011 has been raised via the fundraiser, which explained: "Diagnosed so young, he didn’t have life insurance and knew that time was short.
"In one of his final messages, he said, 'I just want to know that Jiaozi (his new baby daughter, AmyLou’s nickname) and Shay will be okay'.
"With the time he had left, his heart was focused on their future—providing for his baby girl’s dreams, college, or wedding, and making sure his wife wasn’t left to carry it all alone."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.