TikTok star Harrison Gilks, 18, loses battle with cancer, family heartbroken

Prominent TikTok personality Harrison Gilks, from Canada, has been documenting his bucket list mission on the app after his diagnosis of a rare kind of cancer. He has a huge following according to sources.

Harrison passed away on March 30 “peacefully” with his parents and brother at his bedside.

In an emotional tribute, his heartbroken family hailed him an “inspiration to many”.

They said: “His smile could light up a room, his laugh could cheer anyone up.

“He was our sunshine on a cloudy day.

“He always found good in every situation and touched the lives of many with his messages of hope and encouragement through his TikTok videos, where he chronicled and shared his journey with cancer with the world.”

Harrison was diagnosed with the rare soft tissue cancer rhabdomyosarcoma,  in November 2020, undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

He was in remission in February 2022 but by June last year doctors said his cancer had returned and was untreatable. Harrison took to TikTok to share the experiences that would follow.

In a video posted last July, he said: “This isn’t the normal type of stuff I post, but I found out today that I have terminal cancer.

“I was cancer-free for a little bit, but unfortunately, it came back.

“The reason I’m making this and putting it out there is because I’d like to make a little series.

“I’m gonna go out and do a bunch of stuff that I’ve always wanted to do, maybe skydiving, stuff along those lines.”

He went on to share clips of him skiing, at a music festival, on trips around the world and taking a helicopter ride.

In his final video, March 21, Harrison said from his hospital bed that his cancer had spread to his liver and one of his lungs had filled with fluid.

He said: “It’s really hard to breathe. The doctors said I don’t have a whole lot of time left.

“I’ll be in the hospital for the remainder of whatever time I have left.

“It’s obviously very upsetting.

“I wish there was something that you guys could do, or I could do, or the doctors could do – but there isn’t. This is just the way it goes.

“The best thing you guys can do is pray for me. I’ve been doing a lot of praying. Pray for me and my family. It’s been a great ride.”

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