TikToker Mackenzie Paul, who had been sharing videos on social media about her cancer journey since being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia three years ago, has died at the age of 26.
The social media star’s husband, Brandon Paul, spoke about her death in an emotional 10-minute video shared on Facebook Jan. 22.
“As you know, or as most of you know, Kenzie is in heaven now,” he began as he held back tears. “Selfishly, I wish she was here, still with me, and it’s going to take the whole rest of my life to get over this. But the one thing I am really, really happy about is that she’s not in pain anymore.”
He added, “The past two and a half years, I’ve been blessed to be married to the best woman out there. I also had to see her go through some, some very, very tough times. She was pretty transparent when it came to social media. But there’re some times where she was in the ICU and she was not breathing on her own, where, you know, none of us really shared. It was a miracle that she made it this far.”
As he mentioned, Mackenzie Paul frequently uploaded videos to social media documenting her cancer journey. In 2023, she told People that she learned she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia shortly after starting her second year of medical school at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine when she was 23. She remembered passing out one day and waking up with five nurses surrounding her. A week later, she felt faint again.
“I was just standing in one spot not moving in a patient’s room,” she recalled. “I’ve seen lots of different procedures. There’s a difference between seeing blood and being grossed out by it but it wasn’t anything like that.”
After getting labs and bloodwork done, she learned seven weeks later on Aug. 17, 2023 that she had AML.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system, according to Mayo Clinic.
Since then, she had been posting on TikTok and Instagram about her treatment. A series of videos focused on her “taking back what cancer took from me.”
In November, Mackenzie Paul, who became a published author before she died, spoke to People again and said she never imagined “how truly challenging this journey would be.”
“I believed I would undergo a stem cell transplant and then return to my life as a medical student. I never imagined that, more than two years later, I would still be fighting for my life, and now, for a miracle,” she said.
Speaking about how social media helped her, she shared, “Over time, people started following along, offering encouragement and sending messages of support. That connection gave me a renewed sense of hope and purpose. Being able to relate to and help others who are walking a similar path has truly saved my life.”
Mackenzie Paul uploaded a video as recently as Jan. 19 to Instagram, updating fans about her struggles. She said in the clip that she was losing her voice and was in pain.
“It sucks because I do have an appetite and I’m trying to eat. But it literally hurts so bad it is bringing me to tears,” she shared. Mackenzie Paul asked for prayers and in the caption included the hashtag “miracleformackenzie.”
In his video message about his wife’s passing, Brandon Paul said that Mackenzie Paul was briefly in remission one summer before her cancer returned.
He praised his late wife, saying, “During this whole past two and a half years, I tried not to take any day for granted. She was the strongest, hard working, most disciplined woman I’ve ever met. She made me a better man, a better husband, every single day.”
He described her as “a warrior” and “a fighter” and said he wanted her to be at peace after struggling for three years. Brandon Paul again shared that over the years Mackenzie Paul had been in the ICU multiple times.
“She was very close to going and God performed several miracles and allowed Kenzie to stay with me as long as possible,” he said.
“I’m not sure why she had to go through this,” he continued. “I’m not sure why this had to happen. But I’m glad I got to spend the past couple years with the love of my life. She’s my everything. She always will be. She’ll always be my best friend. She’s a rock star. I love her so much.”
He thanked all her fans for the prayers and support they sent to their family, and for following her journey.
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