A woman in New York City, New York, who is fighting cancer, was caught off guard when her oncologist told her that he was transitioning her to end-of-life care. Refusing to accept this or give up, the woman will now seek further treatment in another state, with her reaction to the news quickly becoming viral.
The clip was shared by internet personality Sydney Towle. She is a prominent content creator who was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma at the age of 23. Sydney had recently been hospitalized, and her mother accompanied her. The video mentioned above shocked everyone, garnering 5.3 million views, 385,800 likes, and more than 9,400 comments.
The New York woman explained that she had woken up to her oncologist telling her that he would no longer treat her. Instead, he was to transition her to end-of-life care. This is meant to manage a patient’s symptoms in the last months or years of life.
“So we are switching hospitals, and we’re going to somewhere that will treat me,” Sydney said. “[…] We’re not at the point where we’re giving up.”
Just two days ago, Sydney shared a clip in which she announced that her cancer had spread to her peritoneum, which is a membrane located in the inside of one’s abdomen and pelvis. As per Mayo Clinic, this is called peritoneal carcinomatosis. Depending on the severity of the cancer, patients may live 4 to 6 months or up to three years based on the treatment.
This would explain the oncologist’s decision to transition Sydney to end-of-life care.
A Collected Follow-Up
While the clip was impactful, Sydney would then share a follow-up clip where she appeared calmer and more collected.
She explained that she and her mother didn’t have time to process the news and were “very angry” in the previous viral video. Her mother was upset, too. She had cried after hearing the oncologist. Later, she would add that it was “shocking” to hear that the hospital was stopping treatment and going toward hospice care.
“That is not the line of treatment that we had or the path that we had been told that we were going toward,” the New York woman explained.
Sydney said that, in a day, things did a “complete 180” after she spoke to a different oncologist in Miami. She will now start a different type of chemo and will travel there next week. To finalize her clip, she grabbed her jiraffe plushie, George, whom she said was “allayed.”
Divided Opinions
Some users believed that Sydney was making the best choice. One viewer commented, “That happened to me… and 25 years later, I am still here.” Another one said, “Keep advocating for yourself, sweetie! Keep fighting and remain in faith.”
Others criticized the oncologist for handling things the way he did. One person wrote, “The way he did it was a huge issue as well.” In contrast, some defended him, offering a more balanced take. One viewer said, “He is making a completely valid decision since treatment at this point does more harm than good for the patient.”
Despite the disheartening news, it appears that Sydney will continue to fight her disease, no matter what.
