TikTok Star Dies After Cancer Struggle: Maddy Baloy Was 26

Maddy Baloy, a kindergarten teacher who documented her journey through terminal cancer on social media, has passed away at age 26. Baloy’s fiance, Louis Risher, told People that Baloy “passed away peacefully” on Wednesday night, “surrounded with love.” Risher added, “She is so special. I turned 27 yesterday, actually. I was holding her hand all day, and that’s all I needed.”

Baloy was diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 cancer when she was 25 years old, according to her GoFundMe page. On her page, she shared that her initial thought when going to the urgent care was that she had a stomach bug, but while at the doctor, Baloy found out that she had cancer.

“Since my cancer diagnosis a few days ago, I have already undergone two surgeries and am now facing chemotherapy and will require future surgeries in the near future,” Baloy wrote at the time. “My heart is bursting at the number of people who have reached out to me asking to help in anyway possible,” she added. “As I now require around-the-clock care, Louis and I are now unable to work and finances will be extremely tight.”

Originally from Tampa, Florida, Baloy accumulated 446,000 followers on TikTok, in addition to another 27,000 followers on Instagram. In March 2023, she shared in her first social media post that she “started getting tummy aches” in June 2022, which led to her cancer diagnosis. 

Due to their frequency, Baloy believed the painful cramps lasting 10 to 20 seconds were routine. After that, she lost 50 pounds without even trying. She attributed it to luck but occasionally felt nauseous. 

But then the nausea and vomiting would not stop. Baloy went to urgent care but was told it was more than just a stomach ache and that “all your signs are indicative of cancer,” so she immediately went to the emergency room. 

CT scans revealed cancerous tumors and a large mass in her large intestine. After being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, she underwent emergency colorectal surgery.

From that point on, Baloy has been fighting cancer with a smile on her face, not only to survive it but to thrive. While put on a strong front with her health scare, her TikTok videos earned her millions of views. 

Gordon Ramsay fulfilled her wish to meet him this past February. She shared the experience on Instagram and TikTok, where she shared that she and four other guests dined at his Lucky Cat restaurant. According to People, Baloy is survived by Risher, her mom, Carissa Talmege, and her stepfather, Lucky Talmege.