Kimberly Nix dead at 31: Influencer announces own death in heartbreaking TikTok video as she dies of cancer

TikTok influencer Dr Kimberly Nix died at the age of 31 from cancer. The Canadian medical doctor who gained popularity for documenting her cancer battle on the social media platform, died of metastatic sarcoma on Wednesday (May 8).

She announced her own passing in a heartbreaking TikTok video that was released posthumously. She announced: “Hello followers, if you’re seeing this message I have passed away peacefully,” the late social media star announced in the clip, which has amassed over 6.4 million views at the time of writing.

“For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Kim, hi! It’s so nice to meet you and you’re welcome to check out all the cool sarcoma facts, information and my lived experience with death and dying with sarcoma cancer. You don’t have to go just because you’re new.”

Despite her illness, Kimberly had a positive outlook on her life where she shared her lived experience while educating the masses about sarcoma. In the video, she invited her followers to ‘get ready with me’ as she applies her makeup.

She said: “I’m a resident doctor who did an internal medicine and had a beautiful life and i’m so proud of it. Those who know me know that I love my pets, my husband, and makeup in the reverse order.

“So get ready with me one last time as a thank you for being the coolest people. So in 2021, i got the opportunity to start making TikTok videos and I never thought that these would become anything. My goal was to spread awareness about sarcoma cancer and we have been a successful team. We’ve reached great heights in sarcoma awareness. I’ve become an advocate and a champion with several organisations to try to raise awareness for sarcoma.”

She also said she managed to tick off things on her bucket list, including visiting New York and going to a broadway, which she said was “a dream of mine” due to her love for musicals. She then expressed her gratitude to her husband which she described as her “most beautiful love”.

She added: “We can get through all this together. Everything else is totally bearable because that is the only that matters. thanks so much for following along...this community has meant the absolute world to me. i’ll miss you TikTok, I love you all and thank you for this amazing, amazing opportunity. With happy joyful tears I’d say thank you for the bottom from the bottom of my heart.”

The content creator was originally diagnosed with extra-skeletal osteosarcoma, but the diagnosis later evolved into metastatic sarcoma, an occurrence that she said wasn't uncommon.

According to the NHS, sarcomas are rare cancers or malignant tumours of the connective tissues and can arise in the soft tissues such as muscle, fat, blood vessels, fibrous tissue and nerves or in the hard tissue elements such as bone and cartilage. Sarcomas most commonly spread to the lungs, according to the Cancer Research UK, and sometimes they may spread to the bones.

Symptoms of sarcoma include a lump, bone pain, and a broken bone that occurs suddenly with seemingly no cause. Additionally, those with sarcoma may experience abdominal pain and weight loss. With over 70 types of sarcoma, the symptoms can range widely.

In an interview with PEOPLE in April, Kimberly described her own symptoms. She said: "Symptoms of sarcoma are so important because there is no screening test. My symptom was the most common symptom in soft tissue sarcoma. (Everything was) completely normal — including all my lab values — except for a small, but rapidly growing lump in my left leg. Mine changed rapidly, which led me to see my doctor right away. It went from the size of a pea to the size of a golf ball in just over a week."