A young influencer named Dominique McShain from New Zealand has passed away at the age of 21 after courageously sharing her battle with bowel cancer on TikTok. Diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer at just 20 years old, the cancer had spread to her liver. Her death was confirmed by People on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. While the exact date of her passing is unknown, Dominique shared her final update on April 6, revealing that she had entered end-of-life care due to her rapidly declining health. In her heartbreaking post, she mentioned receiving a prognosis of only a few days to a few weeks left to live.
Throughout her journey, Dominique gained a following of over 200,000 on TikTok and Instagram by documenting her battle with cancer, aiming to raise awareness about colorectal cancer in young adults. In her last post, she expressed gratitude for her life, family, and friends, saying, “My life may be short, but I genuinely think I’ve squeezed every bit out of it. I won the lottery with a family that loves me unconditionally, friends who would 10000% donate a liver to me or do anything they could, and the sweetest husband Sean, who’s been my rock through everything.”
View her final post here:
“Lately, I’ve been envisioning heaven a lot — a place where I’ll finally be free from the pain that has been with me for so long. I picture myself without the constant suffering, no longer dependent on medication just to get through the day. I’ll be able to run, to breathe, to feel whole. Although it will be difficult to leave you all behind, please know that I will finally be free from pain and at peace,” she wrote.
Dominique was pursuing a psychology degree when her diagnosis changed the course of her life. In 2024, she was given a prognosis of one to five years to live. Despite the terminal diagnosis, she married her partner Sean Suson and went on a honeymoon to Thailand in December 2024. She mentioned that they had to fast-track their love story as time was not on their side.
“The privilege of growing old was taken away from me, along with so many other life experiences. But one thing I could do that was normal in life was get engaged and get married,” she expressed.
