Woman announces her own death in social media post gone viral: 'Cherish every moment'
FILE - Hospital bed. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A young woman who died from a rare form of cancer is posthumously going viral on social media after her final and poignant message was shared with the world online.
"If you’re reading this then it means I have died from my battle with cancer," Daniella Thackray’s post says, adding that her family shared the message on her behalf.
"Firstly, I just want to say that not all cancers are caused by lifestyle choices. In some cases it’s genetics or unfortunately it just happens. In my case, despite me being very healthy and active, a cancer started in my bile ducts, which was not caused by anything in my control and my life was never the same again."
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Thackray, who was reportedly in her 20s, lost her life after fighting cholangiocarinoma.
It's a rare and aggressive cancer, which has no cure, she wrote in her message.
Cholangiocarinoma is a bile duct cancer that typically occurs in people older than age 50. But it can also occur at any age, as the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota notes on its "Diseases & Conditions" webpage.
People are often diagnosed when the cancer has advanced, which makes treatment "difficult to achieve," according to the organization.
"I really really do hope that in the years to come more research is done about this horrid, cruel disease so that more lives can be saved," Thackray wrote.
"So with that being said, although we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how we react. I chose not to mourn the life I was losing despite being so devastated, but to instead enjoy every moment I had left."
"As I have always said and believed, you should enjoy the little things in life and cherish every moment!" she also wrote. "Romanticise your life! Do whatever makes you happy and don’t let anyone take the joy of life away from you…"
She continued, "I LOVED my life. Everything I had achieved was what I wanted. I loved my job, my fiancé, my family, my friends and my dog, and the house we were going to buy and the future we were making for ourselves. Leo my fur baby was definitely brought into my life to help brighten my darkest days."
"So thank you everyone for making my life so magical," Thackray also wrote.
"Remember what I said about enjoying the little things."
Thackray worked as an HR professional in Leeds, England, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Newcastle University in Tyne, England. Her final post was publicly shared on Facebook and LinkedIn last month.
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Friends, family and colleagues commented on both platforms, expressing their profound grief while also eulogizing Thackray.
"Daniella, you were a beautiful lady, inside and out," one woman wrote underneath the post on Thackray’s Facebook page. "I loved working with you at Primark years ago. You brightened up the weekend! I’m so sorry this happened to you. My heart breaks for you and your loved ones. Rest in eternal peace."
"Rest in peace Daniella, you were such a kind-hearted, lovely person," another said.
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"RIP, angel," another person wrote, adding a heart emoji. "You brought joy to my life, always helped me and we always had a laugh! Ride high, you absolute queen."
"Rest in peace Daniella, from the rest of the Thackray family," a family member commented.
Fox News Digital reached out to friends and a family member of Thackray’s for comment.
"A selfless gift of wisdom and perspective was her final wish. It speaks volumes of her character and our collective loss," a LinkedIn user commented on Thackray’s post.
"I'm so sorry you had to leave so soon, Daniella," the comment continued. "I'm so sorry your parents had to watch their child die. I'm so sorry Tom didn't get to marry the love of his life. Rest well, beautiful Angel."
Thackray concluded her final post with a quote that she credited to Winnie the Pooh, while also mentioning her fiancé, Tom.
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"If ever there is a tomorrow when we’re not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart … I’ll always be with you." — Winnie the Pooh
"And lastly, to my dear, beautiful Tom, I love you and always will. Thank you for supporting me and bringing so much love and happiness into my life. Go enjoy your life now, you deserve it."
Thackray’s post garnered more than 53,000 likes on LinkedIn and 3,500 reactions on Facebook at the time of publication.
Multiple news outlets have written about the story across the globe since her family shared it on Feb. 23 on her social accounts.