TikTok influencer Rachel Yaffe has passed away at the age of 27. Yaffe's demise was announced in her online obituary, which stated that she succumbed to a rare form of liver cancer on Friday. Private funeral services will be held for Yaffe in Maryland, as per the obituary.
Yaffe leaves behind her loving parents, Linda and Wayne Yaffe, her siblings Jordan and Jessica Yaffe, her grandmother Sydney Bass, and her dog Layla. In lieu of flowers, her family has requested that donations be made to Experience Camps, a nonprofit organization based in Westport, CT, that supports grieving children.
Yaffe's final TikTok post was on September 1, where she expressed her gratitude for being back home in New York after returning to Maryland to be closer to her family during her cancer treatment. She mentioned the difficulty she faced in motivating herself to move and how being in a city made it easier to walk around.
Yaffe also discussed her rigorous food regimen, which was draining her energy. She captioned the video, emphasizing that finding small joys helped her stay motivated, even on her toughest days. Yaffe had revealed her cancer diagnosis on TikTok in April 2023, explaining that she was diagnosed at the age of 20.
She recounted her experience with a doctor who, despite not finding anything abnormal during a physical examination, sensed something was amiss. Yaffe underwent an ultrasound, initially believing she might be allergic to gluten due to bloating. The diagnosis revealed a 20-centimeter tumor called fibrolamellar on her liver. Although she had the tumor removed, her cancer recurred and advanced to stage 4 within three months.
In a TikTok video from August 22, Yaffe described the side effects of her proton therapy treatment, including severe fatigue and weakness. She noted that she had started to regain enough strength to return to New York, where she felt more inspired and supported by her friends.
Yaffe concluded her caption by sharing that after a challenging few months, she was beginning to feel better, happier, and stronger again.