Influencer, 26, battling cancer ‘pushed through the pain’ on catwalk at Miami Swim Week after refusing end of life care
Influencer Sydney Towle has revealed she is in a lot of pain following her defiant catwalk appearance at Miami Swim Week just weeks after doctors urged her to seek end-of-life care.
The 26-year-old content creator, who was diagnosed with a rare bile duct cancer three years ago, walked in The Chemo Club x Post Swim runway show on May 28.
Since returning home to New York City, Towle has shared the reality of putting herself through the event – even though she described the experience as a ‘dream come true.’
Taking to TikTok, Towle told her one million followers that while the trip wasn’t easy on her health, she doesn’t want to stop doing ‘things that are fun.’
‘I haven’t been showing it because I’ve been trying to take in as much of the week as possible and enjoy it, but I have been in a lot of pain, and I’m still extremely nauseous,’ she said.
Towle said that while she plans to go to urgent care for further medical help, doing the catwalk wouldn’t have made her less free from pain.
‘If you see a video of me in the hospital, it’s just because I feel safer there sometimes when I’m in pain,’ she continued.
‘Regardless of if I had gone or not, I would be in pain and nauseous.
Sydney Towle has revealed she is in a lot of pain following Miami Swim Week
The 26-year-old content creator, who has an aggressive type of cancer, walked in The Chemo Club x Post Swim runway show on May 28
‘That’s just the nature of where I’m at right now.’
Towle became overcome with emotion as she reflected on just how much Swim Week meant to her.
‘I don’t want to stop doing things that are fun,’ she said. ‘I really just want to have fun with my friends, and I did, and that’s all I could ever ask for. So, I’m very grateful.’
Towle’s participating in the event came just weeks after her oncologist said that he will no longer treat her and that he wanted her to transition to end-of-life care.
‘I said no,’ the influencer said in a video.
‘We are not at the point where we’re giving up.’
Social media users rallied around Towle following her post-Miami Swim Week debrief.
‘I think that trip was great for your mental health,’ one commented. ‘That’s important too.’
Echoing a similar sentiment, another said: ‘My oncologist tells me to go live my life. Rest when you can but live your life. Sending prayers.’
‘I have been in a lot of pain, and I’m still extremely nauseous,’ Towle said in a new video
Towle, who refused end-of-life care just weeks ago, said she doesn’t want to stop doing things ‘that are fun’
‘People don’t understand that you can’t always wait until there’s a good time or a good day to do things,’ added a third. ‘Not all of us have the luxury, live for today and now.’
Towle was just 23 when she was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in early August 2023 after doctors discovered a ‘sizable mass’ in her stomach that had been growing for four months.
Bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma, is an aggressive type of cancer that starts in the bile ducts.
It can affect people of different ages but it is more commonly diagnosed in adults over the age of 50.
In November 2024, Towle, whose tumor arose from a genetic mutation, admitted that the most challenging aspect of her journey has been dealing with the unknown.
‘It’s tough for me to plan for the future at all or expect anything when everything is so fragile around my diagnosis and treatment,’ she said.
‘It’s also really hard to plan in the short term, such as dinners or going out with friends, when I don’t know how I’ll feel physically or emotionally on a given day.
‘There are so many things I want to do now, given that I don’t know how much longer I have, but I can’t plan my bucket list or any fun trips while receiving treatment and not knowing where surgery will take me.’
