Social Media Influencer Kaelin Bradshaw Dies at 29 After Publicly Detailing Her Rare Cancer Battle

29 October 2025

TikTok creator Kaelin Bradshaw (also known as @kae.bradshaw) has died at the age of 29 after a courageous public journey chronicling her fight with a rare form of bile-duct cancer called cholangiocarcinoma. Her husband Austin Bradshaw confirmed her passing on October 27, 2025, noting that she died peacefully in hospice care, not in pain, surrounded by family and holding his hand.

Bradshaw, who had nearly 100,000 followers on TikTok, first revealed her diagnosis in late 2024 after discovering a liver mass following an abdominal injury. She openly shared her treatment efforts, including her transition to hospice care in October when she was no longer eligible for chemotherapy, and set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover mounting medical and living expenses as she and her husband navigated the reality of a terminal diagnosis.

In her final posts she expressed deep gratitude for her husband’s support he working multiple jobs and even selling personal belongings to help ease their burden and her desire to spend meaningful time with him before her body could no longer fight. She said the diagnosis had “overwhelmed” her, but she remained determined to live with intention and to bring awareness to her illness.

Austin’s announcement underscored the love and community around Bradshaw: “From the moment Kaelin was diagnosed, she was devastated but also determined. She promised me and our family she was going to fight and never give up … She fulfilled her promise, but unfortunately the disease progressed beyond her body’s ability to keep fighting.” He added that she “was not alone nor was she ever alone throughout this entire journey.”

Though young for her illness cholangiocarcinoma typically affects people over 50 Bradshaw embraced openness in the face of adversity. Her story resonated deeply: followers commented on her authenticity, her willingness to post from hospital beds and bedsides, and her refusal to let illness silence her voice. Many praised her as an inspiration for candidly sharing both hope and grief.

In her farewell posts she asked her followers to continue supporting her husband and their future dreams: “We’re hoping to take a trip together as soon as I get the green light to start my next treatment, and we’d love to be financially ready when that time comes,” she wrote. The goal of her fundraiser was stated simply as: “help me and Austin with whatever the future brings.”

Bradshaw’s death highlights the intersection of influencer culture, chronic illness and online communities. While many creators share polished lives, she shared a raw, unfiltered journey through diagnosis, limitation and loss. Her willingness to document the decline including signing a do‐not‐resuscitate order in her 20s added to her credibility and vulnerability in a space often defined by perfection.

Her legacy is not only the stories she posted but the lives she impacted followers who said they felt less alone after watching her updates, and medical-advocacy voices who pointed to her case to highlight lesser-known cancers in younger adults. Her story reminds us that social-media platforms can serve as both diaries and public forum for illness, and that even young creators face the gravities of life, health and time.

Kaelin Bradshaw leaves behind her husband Austin, her family, and a digital community that watched, cared and grieved in real time. In honour of her, supporters have shared her favorite phrase: that living bravely, honestly and with intention is perhaps the greatest legacy one can leave.