Dr. Kimberley Nix's poignant farewell on TikTok before succumbing to cancer
Dr. Kimberley Nix had been fighting cancer for three years. She shared a touching farewell with her TikTok followers on the day she passed.
10:33 AM EDT, May 10, 2024
On May 8, Dr. Kimberley Nix, aged 31, passed away. As a resident of Calgary, Canada, she started sharing her journey with cancer on Instagram and TikTok in 2021, during her third and final year of residency in internal medicine.
Dr. Kimberley Nix passed away from malignant cancer
In an interview with "People" magazine, Dr. Nix expressed her determination not to let the disease dominate her life. She explained, "There's only one thing in my life right now that's tough or hard. Yes, it's serious, but it's just one aspect. Life encompasses so much more - friends, family, animals, career, the perfect temperature of the first sip of tea, and the breathtaking view of snow-capped mountains."
Initially diagnosed with extra-skeletal osteosarcoma, Dr. Nix later learned she had undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. Diagnosis progression is common with sarcomas due to over 100 subtypes existing for this cancer, which originates in connective tissues.
On her social media, Dr. Nix highlighted the importance of not ignoring symptoms, pointing out, "Sarcoma symptoms are crucial as there is no screening test. My symptom was the most common for soft tissue sarcoma - everything was completely normal, including all my lab results, except for a rapidly growing lump on my left leg."
Popular TikToker said goodbye to followers
Dr. Nix shared her final message on TikTok on her last day, reaching over 6 million users. She began, "Hello, followers. If you're seeing this, I have passed away peacefully. For those who don't know me, my name is Kim, hi! Nice to meet you. I invite you to learn about sarcoma, its facts, and my experiences related to death and dying from cancer."
She again expressed her gratitude for her husband, family, friends, and pets, highlighting these relationships as the most important values in life, even more than her professional achievements, of which she was also proud. In her farewell, Dr. Nix said, "I love all of you. Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity. I am overwhelmed with tears of happiness because you all helped me find so much purpose towards the end of my life."
