Leah Smith dead: TikTok star dies at 22 after cancer battle as boyfriend tells fans ‘we will never let her be forgotten’
A TIKTOK star who inspired Brits in her battle with cancer has tragically died – with her friend vowing she will “never be forgotten”.
Leah Smith was diagnosed bone cancer in 2019 and quickly shared her story with millions of people online.
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But her family shared the devastating news last night news she had died at the age of 22.
The Liverpool young man talked about having Ewing’s sarcoma – a rare form of cancer that affects the bones and soft tissue – in 2020.
She admitted she was ‘terrified’ but realized she wanted to talk about what she was going through – so she turned to her TikTok.
Leah told me LiverpoolEcho at the time: “I wanted to start a TikTok to express my journey and show people my life with cancer – the ups and downs of it. People are absolutely loving it.”
Leah had a following of over 500,000 people, and her videos were viewed by millions.
And it was on that platform that her heartbroken boyfriend Andrew told her she had passed away.
Speaking to the camera, he said: “This is just a message to anyone who has followed Leah or given her any support or support of any kind. Nice comments. I’m sorry to say that she passed away today around 11:30 am this morning.
‘I just want to thank everyone. All your comments helped – she actually read them all. Anyone who has ever said something nice – it means more than you realize.
“We will all miss Leah, but we will make sure we never forget her.
“I want to see everyone talking about Leah and how great she is and how much she has helped everyone. We will never let Leah be forgotten.”
In the days leading up to Leah’s death, other loved ones joined her social media platforms to give fans updates.
Her friend Vikki said: “Leah is now at the end of her life and can’t move or talk, but she responds to us with sounds and knows we are there.
“Andrew has never left her side for a moment, he has been an absolute rock for her throughout this entire journey.
“The most important thing is that Leah is so peaceful now. She looks as beautiful as ever and we are grateful that we can be at her bedside and hold and comfort her.”
The young star was diagnosed with cancer after complaining of back pain in the months before.
She said at the time: “I had really bad back pain for ten months. It was constant, then I lost all feeling in my left leg and I knew something was definitely wrong.
“I felt like my whole world had collapsed right before my eyes and that it would never get better. I felt so alone.”
What is sarcoma?
BY TERRI-ANN WILLIAMS
SARCOMAs are cancers that can develop anywhere in the body.
They are one rare disease and can strike indoors or outdoorsincluding your muscles, bones, tendons, blood vessels and fatty tissue.
In Britain, around 15 people are diagnosed with the disease every day, which equates to 5,300 people per year.
Sarcoma UK says there are about 100 different subtypes of the cancer.
Your treatment will depend on the type of sarcoma you have and these can be grouped into soft tissue and bone sarcomas.
Ewing’s sarcoma, or Ewing’s sarcoma, is a rare form of cancer that affects bones or the tissue around bones.
It is more common in men and mainly affects children and young people between the ages of 10 and 20 years.
The main areas affected by Ewing’s sarcoma are the legs (around the knees), pelvis, arms, ribs and spine.
Because the condition is so rare and often requires complicated treatment, you may be referred to a specialist team for your care.
Symptoms include bone pain, which may get worse over time and at night, a tender lump or swelling, and a high temperature that doesn’t go away.
Patients may also feel constantly tired and experience weight loss.
Because bones tend to be weaker, they are prone to fractures, with many people diagnosed after a fracture.
But that all changed for Leah when she started sharing her story, inspiring thousands of people in the UK, and around the world.
And that support continued after her death.
Tens of thousands of devastated fans have paid tribute to Leah and sent her family their best wishes.
One girl wrote: “Leah Smith, a girl we will never forget – rest in paradise angel, thoughts are with you all.”
Another said: “Rip Leah Smith you were amazing and so strong and fought your battles as hard as you could.
“We are all so proud of you, you will never be forgotten.”
Another TikTok user said: “Leah was such a beautiful person inside and out – she will never be forgotten.”
Another young cancer survivor wrote devastatingly: ‘I’ve been blubbering for the past hour because most of us cancer girls couldn’t have made it through our journey without Leah.
“She was the first person to message me when I posted my career on social media and she constantly made sure I was doing well. She constantly checked on me and wished me well.
“Life really is so cruel and she deserved so much more and my heart aches for her and her family.”
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