Three years after being diagnosed with metastatic sarcoma, Dr. Kimberley Nix died on Wednesday, May 8.
The 31-year-old from Calgary, Alberta first gained attention in 2021 after she began documenting her cancer journey on Instagram and TikTok. At the time of Dr. Nix’s diagnosis, she was 28 years old and in her third and final year of internal medicine residency. He is survived by his husband, Michael MacIsaac.
Over the years, Dr. Nix’s account has amassed more than 137,000 followers, and many of her TikTok videos have reached more than a million people. Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE in April, the doctor shared that her goal was to educate people about sarcoma and inspire them to keep living life, despite the obstacles.
“Right now I have only one thing in my life that is difficult or difficult. Yes, it is serious, but [it’s] just one thing,” Dr. Nix said at the time. “Life is so much more. It’s friends, family, pets, your career, the first sip of tea at the perfect temperature, beautiful snow-capped mountains.”
She continued, “So many people go through so much more with so much less to be thankful for. Seeing the beautiful parts of life every day helps me stay grounded and focused on what’s most important to me, and keep pushing forward with more healing.”
Kim/Instagram
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During the interview, Dr. Nix explained how she was initially diagnosed with extraskeletal osteosarcoma, but later learned that she actually had undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma because “having an evolving diagnosis is common with sarcoma because there are over 100 subtypes,” she explained.
According to the National Cancer Institute, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma usually arises in soft tissue (although it can also form in bone) and usually occurs in the legs, arms, or back of the abdomen.
“Sarcoma symptoms are so important because there is no screening test. My symptom was the most common symptom of soft tissue sarcoma. [Everything was] completely normal — including all my lab values — except for a small but rapidly growing lump in my left leg,” she said.
“Mine changed quickly, which is why I saw my doctor right away. It went from the size of a pea to the size of a golf ball in just over a week,” she continued, adding that she took a pill every day for her chemotherapy treatment.
On the day she died, Dr. Nix posted the last video to her account, which reached over 4.6 million people.
In the video, she said: “Greetings to my followers, if you see this message, I passed away peacefully. 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 interesting facts about sarcoma , information and my life experience with death and dying from sarcoma cancer. You don’t have to go just because you’re new.”
She continued: “I love you all, thank you so much for this amazing opportunity. I’m in tears of happiness because you all made me find so much purpose at the end of my life.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education