A social media creator spoke candidly about her battle with cancer in a series of videos before tragically dying at the age of 26.
Mackenzie Paul first went viral in 2023 after she began sharing content about her diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia.
In a recent video, the TikToker’s husband confirmed her passing, saying he felt ‘blessed’ to have been with “the best woman out there,” and calling it “a miracle” that she fought for as long as she did.
While she was undergoing treatment, the young influencer used multiple videos to flag potential warning signs of cancer to her followers.
In one standout post from 2023, she described the first symptoms she experienced and urged anyone noticing similar issues to see a doctor.
“Everyone’s diagnosis is different. But one thing remains the same. Listening to your body is key,” the caption read.
Addressing her followers, she recalled: “In the first week of medical school, I had a clinical rotation where I was following a nurse around. We ended up in a patient’s room and nothing much was happening—the nurse was just chatting to the patient.”
After standing in the same spot for a while, Mackenzie said she suddenly became “really dizzy” and then fainted.
She described the incident as “really, really embarrassing,” and initially put it down to nerves, not eating enough, or a lack of sleep.
“It was weird,” she admitted, adding that she essentially “brushed that off.”
About a week later, during another clinical rotation, she was standing in the same spot when she again began to feel dizzy—but this time she didn’t pass out.
She did, however, contact her primary care provider, who ordered blood tests and a Holter monitor – and the results were alarming.
“I had low red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, low haemoglobin, low hematocrit – like, it was a mess,” Mackenzie recalled. “I remember thinking at that point, like, God, please don’t let this be cancer.”
Doctors initially hoped it was just a virus, but further testing confirmed she had leukaemia.
Apart from fainting, Mackenzie said she hadn’t noticed many other symptoms: “I didn’t get sick, I didn’t have fevers, I was feeling a little more tired than usual… I was also a med student and everyone in medical school is tired, so, I don’t know, it’s just weird how it all happened.”
She urged others to pay close attention to their bodies, telling followers: “If something feels off or weird, or you have a gut feeling about your health, just get it checked out.”
The NHS notes that one of the key symptoms of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is feeling unusually tired, with signs typically appearing and worsening over several weeks.
As the number of abnormal, immature white blood cells builds up, symptoms can become more severe. Possible warning signs include:
- Feeling very tired or weak
- Looking pale or ‘washed out’
- Unusual or frequent bruising or bleeding (including bleeding gums or frequent nosebleeds)
- Shortness of breath
- Repeated or frequent infections
- Losing weight without trying
AML is considered a rare cancer, diagnosed in around 3,100 people each year in the UK, and the likelihood of developing it increases with age.
If any of these issues have affected you and you’d like to talk to someone confidentially, you can contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@KenziePaul3
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