Dominique McShain, a 21-year-old influencer from New Zealand, has died after bravely documenting her battle with bowel cancer on TikTok. She was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer at 20, which had spread to her liver. Her death was confirmed by People on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Although the exact date of her death is not known, Ms McShain had shared a final update on April 6, revealing she had entered end-of-life care due to her rapidly deteriorating condition. In the heartbreaking post, the young TikTok star said she was recently given a prognosis “of only a few days to a few weeks to live.”
Ms McShain had gained over 200,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram by documenting her cancer journey, aiming to raise awareness about colorectal cancer in young adults. In her final post, she expressed gratitude for her life, family, and friends, stating, “My life may be short, but I genuinely think I’ve squeezed every bit out of it. I won the lottery with a family that loves me unconditionally, friends who would 10000% donate a liver to me or do anything they could and the sweetest husband Sean, who’s been my rock through everything.”
See the post here:
“Recently, I’ve been picturing heaven often — a place where l’ll finally be free from the pain that’s been with me for so long. I imagine myself without the constant suffering, no longer needing medication just to survive the day. I’ll be able to run, to breathe, to feel whole. Though it will hurt to leave you all behind, please know that I will finally be out of pain, and I will be at peace,” she wrote.
Ms McShain was pursuing a psychology degree when her diagnosis interrupted her studies. In 2024, she was given a prognosis of one to five years to live. Despite her terminal diagnosis, she married her partner Sean Suson and honeymooned in Thailand in December 2024. She said they had to rush their love story as she didn’t have the privilege of time.
“The privilege of getting to grow old was taken from me, like so many life experiences. But one thing I could do which was normal in life was get engaged and get married,” she wrote.
