On March 24, Carly Douglas turned on her camera and told her followers what doctors had found: a large tumor in her stomach, and scans showing fluid buildup and inflammation throughout her abdomen.
“It’s truly like living in a nightmare and keep trying to wake up, but it’s very much real,” she said.
Douglas, a fitness and motherhood content creator from Greer, South Carolina, died on June 13. She was 34. She had learned she had stage 4 gastric cancer in March, after first thinking she had a bowel obstruction. Doctors told her the cancer began in her stomach and then spread.
More than 137,000 people followed her on Instagram. She used the platform to show her fight, and she did not hedge about it. “I’m gonna be OK, and I’m gonna fight,” she said. “I have to for my kids.” She added: “I keep telling people that cancer picked the wrong girl, because I’m not gonna let this beat me.”
A statement on her Instagram confirmed her death and credited her with “grit and determination.” It described her as “joy personified, pure sunshine.” She leaves her husband, David, and their three children, River, Faye and Townes, along with her parents, siblings and extended family.
What gastric cancer is
The National Cancer Institute defines it as cancer that starts in the cells lining the stomach. The early symptoms can look like everyday complaints, such as indigestion and stomach pain. By stage 4, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, including the lungs, liver, distant lymph nodes and the tissue lining the abdomen wall.
Tributes
Followers filled the comments after the announcement. “I’ve never been so impacted by someone I’ve never met,” one wrote. Another said they found Carly through her announcement post and had been inspired ever since.
A celebration of her life was set for June 20 at Taylors First Baptist Church in South Carolina. Guests were asked to wear bright colors.
