One woman has passed away after her candid videos on living with terminal cancer inspired a TikTok community.
Stacey Pentland was 37 years old and hails from Newcastle. She created her own social media account to make others experiencing the same things feel less isolated.
Mother-of-four and a mother of four, she gained almost 200,000 followers, more than 5,000,000 likes on TikTok. In April 2020, her lymphoma diagnosis was discovered.
She shared details about her medical treatment, including the equipment and videos that documented her progress with her illness.
She died on Thursday via her TikTok channel. A video with a black and white picture of Stacey was shown, along with the words “It’s with great sorrow that I have to inform you that our precious Stacey has passed away at twenty-two.” Please respect the privacy of this family during this time.
Stacey Pentland, who was 37, from Newcastle, shared her experience with terminal cancer (pictured here before chemotherapy) in a bid to help others with the illness feel less alone
By her TikTok friends, the young mom was called ‘incredible and ‘amazing by their followers’
Stacey was diagnosed with cancer after going to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary with sudden back pain, where she was told that tumours had spread throughout her body.
She underwent chemotherapy in a bid to spend as much time as possible with husband Anthony and her four children Chloe, Sophie, Geordie and AJ.
Stacey said that she had never imagined this happening to her, but it could happen to anyone.
It was because I felt alone and didn’t want any other person to experience that feeling. Since then, thousands have sent me support messages, with people saying, “Thanks to you, my doctor found my cancer early.”
“At the beginning it was overwhelming. There were some heartbreaking messages. However, now that they are tested and had their smear tests or have something checked, there is hope.
Stacey spent time at St Oswald’s Hospice, but returned home at the end of her life to be with her family.
Stacey spoke about both her physical and mental health with her audience, discussing subjects like anxiety attacks.
Because cancer is often taboo, she said that she felt the need to share her pain and struggles.
She told St Oswald’s Hospice, where she received care, that after the initial shock of her diagnosis, she thought ‘if this is the end of my life, I need to do something good with the time I have left’.
She added: ‘I knew nothing about cancer, and so I wanted to raise awareness to others, and that’s when I started my daily video diaries on Tik Tok.
‘Everything started to blow up on social media and as a family we’ve had an unbelievable amount of support.
‘From the beginning I’ve been really honest about my journey as there’s a lot people don’t talk about when it comes to cancer. It’s sometimes a taboo subject, so I want to show the hard times when I’ve been in a lot of pain.’
Tens to thousands responded to the news about Stacey’s passing and shared their sorrow, admiration, and even their admiration. One poster said that she was ‘incredible’.
Tens of thousands of mourners took to TikTok’s comments to grieve and offer condolences.
She and her family are truly heartbroken. Fly high Stacey. You are the most remarkable woman that I’ve ever encountered in my lifetime,’ one wrote.
A second penned: ‘I am heartbroken. Her beauty and intelligence were truly remarkable. This world is mourning the loss of someone special.
Another said, “I’m sorry.” She was a wonderful mother and an outstanding advocate for patients with cancer. It was my honor to think of her family.