22-year-old TikTok star with rare cancer holds 'funeral' for the amputated arm she lost due to treatment

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A TikToker who has been battling a rare form of cancer for three years has held a ‘funeral’ for the arm she had to have amputated as part of her on-going treatment.

* Warning: This story contains photos that some people may find distressing.

Eldiara Doucette, age 22, who posts online under the name Semi Bionic Barbie online, documented the event on her Instagram and TikTok accounts for her followers to see. Before sharing photos and videos of the event, she explained she invited a few family members, her boyfriend and some friends "with more morbid interests" to say goodbye to her arm one last time.

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The social media star has stage three synovial sarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue cancer. She has documented he health journey since she got diagnosed at the age of 19. Her cancer has returned three times over the years, and this past October Doucette had to have an above-elbow amputation of her dominant arm.

She told her fans the idea for a “funeral” started as a “joke” but “ended up being a beautifully cathartic experience”. The videos and photos from the “funeral”, which was held recently, show the social media star dressed in all black, wearing a veil and kneeling beside her arm, which has beeen embalmed and was laid out on a bed. The fingernails on the lost arm had been painted black to match the sleeve which had been wrapped around the severed end.

In the caption, she reminisced about the good times she had spent with her arm and her hand before they were removed. "I’ve held many hands, felt the skin of loved ones, picked up spiders to take outside, saved worms off of the sidewalk, wiped away tears, pet dogs and picked many dandelions. I’ve played piano, guitar, ukulele, an act that I’ll never again get to experience," she said.

She added: "I always joke that my arm tried to kill me, but after looking at it on the table, seeing the scars it collected over the years, I realised it too was just a victim of this disease, and it made the ultimate sacrifice on my behalf." Doucette also said that although cancer has taken so much from her the ‘funeral"’ helped her process her complicated feelings about losing her arm.

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Social media star Eldiara Doucette, age 22, who posts online under the name Bionic Barbie, has held a 'funeral' to mourn the loss of her arm after it was amputated due to her on-going treatment for a rare form of cancer. Photo by Instagram/@semibionicbarbie.Social media star Eldiara Doucette, age 22, who posts online under the name Bionic Barbie, has held a 'funeral' to mourn the loss of her arm after it was amputated due to her on-going treatment for a rare form of cancer. Photo by Instagram/@semibionicbarbie.
Social media star Eldiara Doucette, age 22, who posts online under the name Bionic Barbie, has held a 'funeral' to mourn the loss of her arm after it was amputated due to her on-going treatment for a rare form of cancer. Photo by Instagram/@semibionicbarbie. | Instagram/@semibionicbarbie

In the post, she also explained that she originally intended to simply send her amputated arm to be eaten by beetles, but because she has a fondness for "morbid stuff” she asked the mortuary owner who had taken her arm after the procedure if she could see it once last time.

Though she said he was initially "taken aback" by the unusual request, Doucette said he came around to the idea. The mortician put make-up on the arm to make it more presentable, as they would with a body for an open-casket funeral, and ensured that the nails were still painted since sometimes the chemicals used in such undertakings can strip off polish.

A GoFundMe page has now been set up and has since raised over $25,000 (around £20,000) for a prosthetic arm for the star. She received many messages of support on her post. One said: “Your grace and wisdom leave me speechless. . . . Truly, you are an inspiration.” Another added: “Such a beautiful way to honour a part of you who has served you so well!”

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