A Canadian teenager who inspired thousands with his bucket list series on TikTok amid his battle with a rare form of cancer has died. Harrison Gilks, who boasted more than 300,000 TikTok followers, passed away Thursday, March 30 “with his mom, dad and brother holding his hands,” according to his obituary. He was 18.
“I’m making this video because Harrison sadly passed away a few hours ago. He was not in pain when he passed away and he was with his family,” Gilks’ brother David shared in a video posted to the teen’s TikTok account. “I just wanted to come on here and say thank you to everybody around the world for their support and encouragement. It really did mean a lot to him.”
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Gilks drew a social media following on TikTok when he began documenting his efforts to check off activities from his bucket list after he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that forms in soft tissue, in November 2020, per CBC News. According to his father Trevor Gilks, the teen was showing signs of remission by February 2022, but just a few months later, they learned that his cancer had returned and was considered terminal. Gilks, who announced the start of his bucket list series in June, posted his final TikTok video on March 21, revealing that his cancer had spread.
“I don’t know how to say it other than the cancer [has] spread. The doctor said I don’t have a whole lot of time left and the chances of me going home are very slim. I’ll be in the hospital for probably the remainder of whatever time I have left, which is obviously very upsetting,” Gilks shared in the video. “It’s been a great ride with you guys on the bucket list. Bucket list complete.”
In his obituary, Harrison’s family remembered the teen as “an inspiration” to his friends, family and TikTok followers, adding that Gilks “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. He vowed to get as many ‘bucket list’ adventures as he could with the time he had left…But after nearly two and a half years of a hard-fought battle, knowing he did as much as he could, knowing he was loved and strong, he said goodbye.” Gilks will be laid to rest on April 6.
