Madison Baloy, a TikTok star who documented her journey with terminal cancer, has died at the age of 26.
Her fiancé, Louis Risher, confirmed Baloy’s passing in a statement to People shared on Thursday 2 May. “Madison passed away peacefully last night,” Risher told the outlet, adding that she was “surrounded with love.”.
“She is so special,” he said. “I turned 27 yesterday, actually. I was holding her hand all day and that’s all I needed.”
According to her GoFundMe page, Baloy was a kindergarten teacher living in Tampa, Florida, when she was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 cancer. The TikToker, who gained more than 450,000 followers on the platform, received her diagnosis in February 2023 after visiting urgent care for what she initially thought was a stomach bug.
She immediately underwent emergency colorectal surgery for abnormalities in her large intestine, and they later found numerous cancerous tumors pressing on her large intestine. She was initially given five years to live, People reported.
Since then, Baloy has grown a following on social media for her candid videos showing her journey with terminal cancer. In one of her most popular videos, she shared with followers items on her bucket list, such as to climb Camelback Mountain in Arizona, get a tattoo with her grandma, and meet Gordon Ramsay.
In February, Baloy accomplished item number 12 on her bucket list when she met the celebrity chef at his restaurant in Miami, Florida. “GORDON RAMSAY! The biggest honour and the coolest night of my whole entire life,” she captioned the TikTok video, which showed her and Ramsay dancing in a kitchen. “And for everyone who made this happen; I love you! @Gordon Ramsay”.
She also successfully completed another item on her bucket list, to be a guest on a podcast, when she was invited to talk about her cancer journey on The Squeeze podcast hosted by actor Taylor Lautner and his wife Tay Lautner. During the 28 February episode, Baloy explained why she decided to document her terminal cancer on TikTok.
“From the start I just wanted to be as open as I could be,” Baloy said. “I didn’t quit anything when I got cancer – continuing my lifestyle of being a girl in her twenties – people think that is insane, but that’s who I was before.”
Baloy is survived by Risher, her mom Carissa Talmege, 47, and her stepfather Lucky Talmege, 45, according to People.
