Cliff Notes – TikTok star Dominique McShain dies aged 21 after colon cancer diagnosis
- Dominique McShane, a 21-year-old TikTok influencer from Christchurch, New Zealand, passed away after battling incurable colorectal cancer that had metastasised to her liver.
- Diagnosed at 20, she documented her cancer journey online, amassing nearly 200,000 followers, and shared her final prognosis of only days to weeks to live shortly before her death.
- McShane expressed gratitude for her supportive family and friends, highlighting her transition to end-of-life care focused on pain relief and comfort.
TikTok star Dominique McShain dies aged 21 after colon cancer diagnosis
A TikTok influencer who documented her bowel cancer diagnosis has died aged 21.
Dominique McShane was only 20 years old when she was told she had ‘incurable’ colorectal cancer that had spread to her liver in April last year.
McShane, who was from Christchurch in New Zealand, had been studying to be a psychologist before receiving the devastating diagnosis.
Soon after her cancer was discovered, she began documenting her treatment online, gaining almost 200,000 followers on TikTok.
Although she was initially told she had up to five years to live, she died this month, just over a year since her diagnosis.
Posting a ‘final update’ to Instagram, she told her followers she didn’t have long to live.
‘I have recently been given a prognosis about 5 days ago of only a few days to a few weeks to live,” she wrote.
‘My liver is rapidly failing to the point of jaundice and the cancer is progressing quickly.
‘Because of this I am no longer able to receive any treatments, including the chemo I’ve been on for 7 months over the last year.’
She continued: ‘At this point I’ve transitioned to end of life care, focusing on pain relief and managing side effects, with so much time spent in both the hospital and hospice facilities.’
McShane went on to share that while her life ‘may be short’, she had ‘squeezed every bit out of it’.
‘I won the lottery with a family that loves me unconditionally, friends who would 10000 per cent donate a liver to me or do anything they could (and probably argue over who gets to do it).
‘And the sweetest husband Sean who has been my rock through everything – before and after diagnosis.’
