Influencer Sidney Raz diagnosed with stomach cancer months after the death of his unborn daughter

Sidney Raz, real name Sidney Raskind, known for his “Life Hacks, Tips and Tricks” channel, is dealing with the second tragedy in less than a year.

Raskind and his wife Kelsey lost their child in utero at 26 weeks last September, which led them to have genetic testing. This is when his cancer was discovered.

In a video recently uploaded to his Instagram page, Raskind said that he and his wife lost their baby to holoprosencephaly (HPE), a rare birth defect that occurs when a baby’s brain does not completely seperate into two sections during the first few weeks of pregnancy as it should, according to the Child Neurology Foundation.

The cause of HPE is unknown but may include genetic disorders. Only 3 percent of fetuses with HPE survive to delivery, and the condition affects about one in 5,000 live births. Most children who are born with HPE have the severe form of the disorder and, as a result, the majority do not survive more than the first six months of life.

Raskind, who’s in his 30s, explained: “It was found that she [his daughter] had a deletion . . . so we did genetic testing on me and Kelsey didn’t have that deletion but I did have that deletion. And because of that deletion, in recent years, it has been seen to cause certain types of cancer, specifically stomach cancer. I scheduled an endoscopy and . . . today I found out that I have stomach cancer.”

In a follow up video posted on Saturday, (April 5), he revealed that he showed no symptoms prior to his diagnosis. “There were no symptoms, I had no symptoms. It was literally just my daughter’s DNA that saved my life. And now there can be a path forward,” he said.

He went on to offer advice to his fans who who wanted to undergo their own DNA investigations. “Ask [a genetic specialist] to do a full panel of CDH1 and then look for CTNNA,” he recommended. “Those are the two right now that we know that lead to this type of diffuse gastric cancer. I hope that helps.”

Then, in an Instagram post shared on Sunday, (April 6), the social media star said he was in the “exploratory phase” where health experts were determining what stage of cancer he is suffering from. He added that he would need to undergo further blood and stomach tests to determine whether he would require chemotherapy or may even need to his stomach removed.

He previously posted a TikTok video where he said that he will “probably” need to have his stomach removed on Good Friday (Friday April 18). It is not clear why he said this at the time, and if this is still the case.

Raskind is known for posting life hack videos. Since he announced his cancer diagnosis, he has continued to share several of the hacks he is known for, including a new method to crack eggs.

The star has received several messages of support from his fans on his posts. One said: “Holding a special space in my heart for you, friend. You are strong, loved, and never alone. Thinking of you guys this week.” Another said: “Sending strength, love and healing!”