‘I’m so sad over someone I’ve never met’
A teenager who had been documenting his attempts to complete his bucket list on TikTok, while battling cancer, has died.
Harrison Gilks, from Canada, died “peacefully” on March 30. He was 18.
The teenager had been fighting rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that forms in soft tissue.
Harrison’s mum and dad were by his side when he passed away.
A service for Harrison is to be live-streamed today and a legacy fund has been set up “to support others in similar situations, and his passions”, a post on his TikTok account said.
Harrison was first diagnosed with cancer in November 2020, after doctors found a large tumour in his prostate and spots on his lungs.
After undergoing months of chemotherapy and radiation, he was in remission in February 2022.
But, in June last year, doctors told him the cancer had returned and was untreatable.
Harrison then started documenting his cancer journey, gaining 319,000 followers along the way.
In a post on June 29, Harrison announced: “This isn’t the normal type of stuff I post, but I found out today that I have terminal cancer.
“I was cancer-free for a little bit, but unfortunately, it came back. The reason I’m making this and putting it out there is because I’d like to make a little series.
“I’m gonna go out and do a bunch of stuff that I’ve always wanted to do, maybe skydiving, stuff along those lines.”
Some of Harrison’s most recent videos showed him attending a music festival, taking helicopter rides, meeting his favourite sports stars, and visiting New York City, Mexico, and the Rocky Mountains.
But the fun was short-lived, with Harrison posting a heartbreaking update on March 21, a week before he passed.
In a video from his hospital bed, Harrison detailed how the cancer had spread to his liver and that one of his lungs was full of fluid.
“It’s really hard to breathe. The doctors said I don’t have a whole lot of time left. I’ll be in the hospital for the remainder of whatever time I have left. It’s obviously very upsetting.
“I wish there was something that you guys could do, or I could do, or the doctors could do – but there isn’t. This is just the way it goes. The best thing you guys can do is pray for me. I’ve been doing a lot of praying. Pray for me and my family. It’s been a great ride.”
Harrison’s followers posted tributes to him on his a post announcing his funeral on Thursday.
One read: “I wish I could have known Harrison, but I feel privileged to have watched his journey through TikTok. Rest in Peace.”
Another person said: “I’m so sad over someone I’ve never known. The family is in my thoughts.”
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