Woman announces her own death from cancer in a heartbreaking LinkedIn post

28 February 2024 , 22:47

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Daniella Thackaray had a rare and aggressive form of bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma (Image: FACEBOOK)

A young woman has tragically announced her own death from cancer in a heartbreaking LinkedIn post.

Daniella Thackray, 25, a HR professional from Leeds, had pre-written her final words for her family to post on her behalf should she pass away. She had a rare and aggressive form of bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma. In England, around 2,800 people each year are diagnosed with bile duct cancer, according to Cancer Research UK, and this number is increasing.

The post has since racked up nearly 35,000 likes as people were left moved by Daniella's positive outlook, despite her tragic circumstances. She also put the post publicly on Facebook where it garnered hundreds of likes. In the post, Daniella, a former Newcastle University student, paid tribute to her family, fiancé Tom, and dog Leo. She encouraged her network to "enjoy the little things" in life and "cherish every moment."

Accompanying her post, Daniella chose a black and white photograph of her walking her dog along the beach. She said also wanted to raise awareness of cholangiocarcinoma which, she wrote, is a rare aggressive cancer "with often no obvious causes and no cure." She hoped that in years to come more research would be done about the "horrid cruel disease so that more lives can be saved."

Daniella started the post by saying: "If you’re reading this then it means I have died from my battle with cancer and my family are posting my final message on my behalf." The emotional message continued: "So with that being said, although we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how we react. I chose not to mourn the life I was losing despite being so devastated, but to instead enjoy every moment I had left.

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Daniella Thackray, 25, during her cancer treatment (LINKEDIN)

"As I have always said and believed, you should enjoy the little things in life and cherish every moment! Romanticise your life! Do whatever makes you happy and don’t let anyone take the joy of life away from you. I LOVED my life. Everything I had achieved was what I wanted.

"I loved my job, my fiancé, my family, my friends and my dog, and the house we were going to buy and the future we were making for ourselves. So thank you everyone for making my life so magical. Remember what I said about enjoying the little things."

One person wrote under the post: "Daniella, you were a beautiful lady, inside and out. I loved working with you at Primark years ago. You brightened up the weekend! I’m so sorry this happened to you. My heart breaks for you and your loved ones. Rest in eternal peace."

Another said: "Oh Danielle, you’ve brought me to tears. You are such a beautiful strong young lady, with such an infectious smile. I’m so glad we got to meet even if it was for a short period of your life. I’m so saddened for your family and your Tom, you are such a gem who deserved to grow old with your love and beautiful life. Rest in peace your gorgeous soul."

Rachel Hagan