TikTok star Rachel Yaffe, whose profile documented her years-long battle with an exceptionally rare form of liver cancer, has died at age 27.
The New York-based influencer died Friday, exactly a month before she would have celebrated her 28th birthday, according to her online obituary.
Private funeral services were held Monday through Wednesday in Yaffe’s native Lutherville, Md., about 15 miles north of Baltimore. Her family is sitting shiva throughout the week.
Yaffe was just 20 when she was diagnosed with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, a liver cancer that generally affects teens and adults under age 40, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The institute says FLC is “so rare that there is little data on how many people have it,” though it’s believed to make up anywhere from 1 to 5% of all liver cancers.
In early July, Yaffe said that she had taken “a very unconventional approach to healing,” and wanted to “help break the stereotype and the mental blocks” surrounding cancer.
Two months later, she posted what would end up being her last update, saying she was recently back in New York City after undergoing radiation and had “lost so much” strength from the treatment.
She said it had been difficult to “get up and force [herself] to move” each day, but that she was “focusing on the small things that bring [her] joy” and prioritizing her mental health.
Yaffe is survived by her parents Linda and Wayne, her brother Jordan, sister Jessica, grandmother Sydney and loving dog Layla.
Her family asked that in lieu of flowers, people make contributions in Yaffe’s memory to Experience Camps, a nonprofit program for grieving children.
