Tamara O’Brien was my girlfriend , and I’m incredibly lucky to have been able to spend the time together with her that we had. It makes me happy to see that her story is being shared around the world. Tams you are my angel. I’ll love you always and forever
I am 70 years old. I have basically never been sick in my entire life. And when I think sometimes that I wish I had done this or that, I stop and say how thankful I am just for living, and how sorry I am to see stories like Tamara's.
I'm 64 and I could have written this. It's so sad and unfair when a young person dies of anything. It makes me stop my complaining and to stop taking my life for granted. RIP Tamara, sweet girl.
I remember when my late husband received his stage 4 cancer diagnosis. We came homes and sat on the couch together and he APOLOGIZED to me. Why I asked him? I promised I would take care of you always (I had been recently diagnosed with a chronic debilitating disease but not life threatening) and now I won’t be able to. That man was and is the epitome of love to me.
Meena Mathew thank you, he survived almost 2 years after his diagnosis. Our son was granted leave to come home from Afghanistan to see him. He was able to be there for the birth of our first grandchild, we went on a couple of adventures he always wanted to go on. When the end was near he even was able to choose where he wanted to die, his family’s lake house. We set up his hospital bed so he could gaze out on the lake, took him out on one more boat ride and celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. He died peacefully in bed with me by his side. He still ended up taking care of me as he left me with no debt, a paid for home and life insurance so that even though I am disabled I am taken care of. I am truly blessed.
@@maryblooms4599 That was truly beautiful, thank you for sharing your story with me. As lucky as you were to have him, he was just as lucky to have you.❤
I'm glad she said cancer is not a gift. I watched my partner fight cancer for over 3 years, he lived 1 month over what they said he would. He fought hard & remained positive throughout. To hear someone you love & planned on spending a lifetime with tell you they are dying & there's nothing they can do is beyond heartbreaking. Miss him every second of everyday. Her positivity and honesty was inspiring, sad to hear she has since passed. RIP beautiful girl♥️
I know how u feel as my hubby has glioblastoma n I feel as if theres a clock ticking. Cancer is a curse n its now an experience n not just a word for me. Better to not know that some one is going to die. I wish u strength. Just cherish the memories but live your life to the fullest.
@@simlamaharaj1695 thank you for your kind words. I have been lucky to find happiness after so much sadness but always wonder what if... So sorry to hear this, wishing you & your husband all the strength, there is no handbook for how to deal with it, it's a rollercoaster. I agree sometimes best to not know as you say it feels like the clock is ticking. Just try cherish every minute & don't think too far ahead. Almost impossible to do I know but I so wish when my partner was alive I spent less time worrying what the future held & more time enjoying the present with him❤
@@thedustiev1 Sorry for your loss. "To hear someone you love & planned on spending a lifetime with " FYI this is but a brief pause in your life together. One day you both will be united together again. In the meantime, cherish every wonderful moment you had together. Continue to live your life! He's going to want to hear all your stories here on earth. He doesn't want to miss any of it! Live today, bring those memories with you for your future meeting.
Currently 23 and going through chemotherapy for a rare blood cancer. Crazy how you can feel perfectly normal and have a life threatening illness. Bless this woman.
Soooooo, I was typing before I got through her testimony! So sorry to her family and loved ones. 💖🌻🌷 Rest in Heaven dear Tamara. I am a 54 yr old Christian. Tamara you have given me the gift of realizing just how precious life truly is.
she was my cousin. we didn’t know each other very well, and only really met a couple times, but she was such a sweet soul. rip Tamara You were meant to do such great things in this life.. I’ll never understand cancer
I’m stage 4. Just had hysterectomy. Two more chemos to go. I refuse to die. Having cancer makes a person mentally strong. Good luck to us all. This poor girl. So young. RIP. Xxx
Hi everyone! My name is Hanna Jovin and I am the director of the series, Before & After. It's incredible to see the response on this video. When I met Tamara, all she ever wanted was to be able to tell her story to a wide audience. I am so grateful that her words have been heard so widely, and touched so many of you. She was wise beyond her years and will be missed so much. Thank you for watching!
Thank you .. I am embracing malignant melanoma and I have had it for over a year and worked through it .. Being a tough guy .. I have been watching many brave young women and men .. Dealing with this and it is inspiring to be shown .. Thank you and bless this Child of God .. She is Home
She was a very brave girl to do that not knowing when her day was going to be such a lovely girl so sad that she passed away rip may you show them upstairs what you was extremely good at
Be grateful for your health. Please people, life is so short. This story made me, a grown man who rarely cries, cry his eyes out. God bless the family of this woman.
20 years or 100 years aint matter man! Just live the moment. I only feel life when i go to mountains for hiking. Thats why, its better to spend for your own. i completely concur
Hey, you should probably cry more. Grown men who rarely cry are way too common, it's actually chill to cry when you need to, and trust me, you certainly need to now and then.
I know it's completely random but there's something deeply unfair about a person getting a terminal cancer diagnosis so young. She has so many decades more that she should get to live.
everything seems so random really. whatever you have going for you is a gift. people don't get what they deserve, and I really question the existence of God.
It's totally unfair. 22 years old, you are barely starting- thankfully most people don't realize how young they are at that age (I certainly didn't), but when you are 60, like me, you see it, and yes, it is incredibly unfair.
@@frankpaya690 You question the existence of God only because people die!!God has already decided your life,age,fate. Before you were born!! Death is the bitter fate we all will experience!! This only proves God's existence and not your stupid disbelieve in God. God created life and death to test us...Death isn't the end but the beginning...
She grew stronger and so wise and at peace in her short years than a lot of us in our many. 🦋 And there is Eternity, God promised that. This is not all there is. 🌈 🕊
This was so hard to watch for me. I lost my daughter of 37 yrs last year to cancer. It was so aggressive this thing. She was slim, beautiful, ate healthy food, exercised, had strong abs, and so many plans for her life. She was successful in her business, did so much good in the world. And then, pouf, gone. Oh Tamara! How my heart aches for you, you beautiful young thing. Just starting out in life, working so hard at your sports, as fit as can be, and then wham! Your life cut short so suddenly. We have to find a cure for this awful thing. It has robbed us of our young. Rest in peace, dear Tamara. What a shining light you are.
God bless you dear lady , what you've endured is something so hard i'm sure there are no words to describe it . Please take good care of yourself because you're precious . Your loving daughter will always be by your side . I'm sending you positive vibes from venice italy , if you have the chance come to visit it in the winter time . It's a magical, calm ,nostalgic place . I'll love to show you around. Ciao giovanna
Crying my eyes out. I was diagnosed at 21 and I feel her pain and I feel so so sorry. I agree it is not a gift. I've been in remission 3 years this June.
Hi there I’m 41 years old and I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. I’ve lost so much over the last year and I wanted to wish anyone out there who was/has been diagnosed with cancer that you are loved and prayed for and for the families that took care of the sick-you will get your blessings 100 times over. And for the angels that we lost to this lethal disease-we will all be together again one day soon 🙏😢
I can’t believe I am complaining for having my university exam in two days and I am crying because of this...this girl was 22 like me right now 😞...life is so unfair and unpredictable ...
Antonella9713 you can complain, just because someone else’s life is harder the yours doesn’t make your life hard or easy. A life can be hard but there’s always some harder and easier off then you, though don’t feel to much self pity
Antonella9713 - Cry if that's what you need to do, but then go live your life, which is a beautiful gift. Nobody's life is perfect, beautiful, and fun-filled every moment, but that's not really the point. Does what you're doing - studying, walking your dog, emailing your friend - have meaning for you? Do the people who love and support you know you love them? If the answers are yes, then you leave the world a little better each day you're alive, even when it may not seem so because you're studying endlessly, or stressed out. Don't waste a minute feeling bad about things that don't matter, and things that really, really matter are few: your soul, your loved ones, and those principles you feel passionately about. Do good work, treat others and yourself well, and the world will be a better place because you are in it!
In June 2019, Tamara learnt that the cancer had spread to her brain, and throughout her body, and in September learnt that the disease had progressed significantly. She passed away peacefully in October 2019. This tribute appears to have been filmed earlier in 2019. It's not uncommon for a cancer patient's health to decline very rapidly towards the end. She was very beautiful and insightful while facing a grim prognosis in her early twenties when this was filmed. So unfair.
The only thing worse than having cancer is having a child with cancer. Prayers to the parents, family and friends of this sweet, beautiful, wise, smart girl.
Clasina Goudkuil Well I’m very glad for your family. I don’t know if you have ever heard of Brene Brown - but she said that “Gratitude for your situation makes me know that you are aware of the gravity of my loss.” ❤️ Take Care. Love to your family ❤️
@@ClaSinaGDK being a mother myself, I can't imagine the scare that was, and the gratitude you must feel everyday towards the doctors and modern medicine for keeping him here with you. Glad he is a fighter! Hope you get many more years together xo
Especially when she's learned such major life lessons at that age. So sad she can't go on with her knowledge and attitude for others in the future. Heartbreaking.
Having stage 4 cancer is brutal. After almost 2yrs of treatment and many surgeries, I'm constantly pivoting, putting faith in my oncologist, medical science and body. Thank you for sharing this story.
@@p4nd4b01 - feel sorry for people who don't believe or have a relationship with God. Fairytale? Maybe - but 3 things I have that I owe to God when I am all alone - deep peace - joy (deep happiness) - and feeling REALLY loved. I almost died (twice) - became blind (totally devastated - but gained it back). Psalm 120:1 says "I CRIED to the Lord - in my DARKEST hour - and He rescued me!"
A friend of mine died of liver cancer. She did pretty well until the last 4 weeks. My friends dad died of melenoma too. He also managed decently until his last week. Once the organs start shutting down it is just a few days.
First of all, this video was probably filmed around a month before being uploaded. Secondly, cancer replaces and destroys healthy tissue. Your body is resilient and can cope with quite a lot of destruction but as soon as it reaches a certain tipping point your body loses so much of that function that cannot cope, eg. because your kidneys gave out, your lungs stopped exchanging gas, or an infection takes over because your immune system is gone. When the tipping point in question is reached, you deteriorate quickly and typically only have a few weeks to a few months before you die.
She was an athlete and she probably had a very healthy life (no cigarettes, no drugs, no alcohol). She died of cancer anyway. This is a very valuable lesson. Live every day like it is the last of your life. R.I.P. Tamara O'Brien.
I’m dying of stage 4 now and I just turned 35. Diagnosed 14 months ago and probably have another 1-2 more years according to my dr. Hearing her was inspirational
@@jillrose6827 I hope you can live every moment of your life in an amazing way. That you can make everything counts. I'm 35 myself and I'm inspired by both of you. May you can have a beautiful life. Stay strong!
I would like to add that if you are living in the city, eat food with pesticides, slather cosmetics on your skin, ... saying you live a very healthy life is a dangerous lie. There are carcinogens everywhere due to the way we live. Also, cancer sometimes takes decades to develop, and the human body has at least 10 mechanisms to prevent cells from becoming cancerous, in order to get cancer, all of your defenses have to go down. Even something as small as a folate deficiency can cause your body to stop working properly. Also, for the first time in our history humans are bombarded with electromagnetic radiation everywhere, which on animal studies, does have harmful effects. I'm not saying all of this to encourage a self-defeating attitude, I'm saying this because we as a community can do better for ourselves and others.
She has a youtube channel where she documented her journey. I was a longtime subscriber. It was really sad when she passed. She really thought she was gonna be ok😢... ❤❤❤❤
WOW. I've been battling stage 4 cancer for 3 yrs now. It's not easy. It's suprising how strong you can be when you don't have any other choice. I feel the same way. It IS an awakening! I WISH YOU STRENGTH AND COURAGE. NEVER BACK DOWN AND NEVER GIVE UP.
Hope you keep fighting. Do not leave a stone unturned. Your life is worth it. There are many stories I have read and seen where they have been helped tremendously.
Yeah and that's exactly why people aren't taken seriously when they present their symptoms to the Drs. You don't have to look like death to be sick. Many people suffer from invisible illnesses too. Please lose the ignorance.
I really don't know how youtube algorithms works but I'm glad its recommended me this video...I'm going through a tough depression due to some health issue...Seeing her so strong so beautiful, so positive at the end of her journey truly gives me hope... May her soul rest in peace.
Self love begins as an act of will. Especially when you're starting from nothing. Bless this woman and all whose lives she touched. She touched mine just now. She's right, it wakes you up. I have cancer. We all pass over though. We're just more awake than those without it.
Getting that terminal diagnosis at any age is awful. I've had to give that diagnosis to people, young and old, that we've found cancer everywhere in their body and there is nothing we can do to fix them. It's awful. Cancer is awful, and finding Stage IV cancer is so traumatic.. The look on peoples' faces when they first hear that diagnosis is heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking. And she is beautiful. Just beautiful.
MissLilRedRooster Thank you for the work you do. I can’t begin to imagine the emotional impact your work has on you and others who work in your field. You come across as a very compassionate person and if I ever receive difficult news I would want to receive it from someone like you.
I hope you get the emotional support required for dealing with giving people such bad news. I can only imagine the strain that must put on you emotionally.
Around April 8th,2021 my life came crashing down. I was diagnosed with B-Cell ALL. I’ve never smoked, hated drinking tbh and I was really active ( especially in 2020, when I was gone for a Years worth of training with the Marines in Cali ). I thought I was strong because of my previous accomplishments, but what Tamara was saying really hit the ball. I really don’t think my personal Cancer journey is a “gift”or will it ever be considered one. But it for sure was an awakening. I turned 21 and it’s been a year since my diagnosis. I’m not sure what to expect, but we shall see. To those who are fighting, keep going… I know the emotions all to well.
How are you doing? Are you still there? Existing? Feels weird to ask this question. I have never thought we read alot of comments of random people all the time but never realized how this person might be dead now might not EXIST ANYMORE! isn't that........ Fascinating?
Nothing is more sad than 1, seeing someone with cancer at only 22 years old, and 2, being reminded that you don't have to be 70 years old to have cancer.
My sister was diagnosed at age 11, and passed on Thanksgiving day at age 21. Babies are diagnosed everyday with cancer. The assumption that only old people get cancer is strangely out of touch.
@@r.coffman1431 It's the foods and water and air we breathe. They're forcing cancer on us so they can depopulate the planet. Everything is potential cancer out there.
Most are closer to 70 though. 22 year olds should think ”it's unlikely to happen to me”, because that's the truth. But of course, ”unlikely” doesn't mean impossible.
My mom died two weeks ago, after 35 years of battle. She discovered her cancer when I was one. No one believed she would live passed 5 years. She always said love of you (me) has kept me alive. Tamara I wish you all the love. Your strength can take you far. Xxx
I am sorry for your mother's death but i hope you know what a treasured person you were. To be the purpose and source of strength for your mother to live on is a huge thing!
At 20, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Crohn’s disease. At 21, my entire large intestine ruptured, I died for two minutes, they were able to resuscitate me and go on to perform at 12 hour surgery where they found two small tumours growing on the outside of my now shattered large intestine. If they had gone unnoticed any longer, it would’ve killed me in six months, I literally had to die to save my own life. But that was just the beginning. I’m now 51 and I’m on permanent long-term disability. I’ve had 37 surgeries, they have removed over 95% of my G.I. tract. I’ve had four relapses of intestinal cancer at the same time. Chances of survival were 5%, 10%, 5%, 5%… I’m 51 now, cancer free, intestine free, but still alive, so hell yes, it is an awakening, but if I have to be honest, there’s a lot of times I wished I wasn’t alive, because living like this with so much missing inside, has turned my life upside down and backwards more times than I can count. Is it wrong to say I wished that the cancer had killed me instead? Not being able to eat hardly anything, being sick every day of your life, not being able to do any of the things you used to enjoy, and being just plain miserable all the time, is too high of a price to pay for just being alive. There’s a big difference between living, and being alive. Unfortunately I am the latter, living is the most important, when you can do things that are fun, things that make you happy, even if it means going to work, I would give anything to be able to return to work, and have my life back. I did manage to get my degree while going through all that crap, and manage to work off and on, for almost 25 years, but it finally reached a point where I’m just too sick to do anything. Never confuse living for being alive, because being alive itself isn’t enough, if you have no reason to live, and life is nothing but unbearable pain day after day for the rest of your life, then I’m not living, I’m just alive, but dead, or rather, waiting for death to finally take me, so I can finally live again on the other side, and I know there’s another side, because when I died, I got to see what awaits us, and it’s absolutely wonderful, I can’t wait to get back to it, but at the same time I can’t abandon all those people in my family who gave everything up to help me get through it. Be thankful you’re not me, I wouldn’t Wish this on anybody, the only claim to fame that I can make is that the cancer diagnosis percentages are never correct, the doctors are only going by the textbooks, and everybody is different. Unfortunately I survive 4 times when I should’ve died, sounds crazy I know, but if I knew what I was going to be facing after surviving everything, I would’ve gave up and let the cancer take me, because this is not living, it’s a State of perpetual pre-death. Ps - since first posting this, I am now 53, I was just diagnosed with lung cancer, seems it’s not quite finished with me just yet, but this time is different, for some reason I’m not panicking about it, probably because I’ve been through so much already, I’m not even sure if I’ll bother with the chemotherapy and radiation, but I will find it one way or the other, and whatever happens happens, I literally put my fate in gods hands (and if you’re not religious, then I’ll simply say I’m leaving it up to fate). I spent too many years in total panic and chaos, I’m not putting myself through that again, and I really am OK if this time I can’t win the battle, because I know that life still goes on, just in a different way. I have always believed that this mortal existence is but the first step, and like I said before I know what awaits us, I just pray to God that I haven’t messed up my life and jeopardize my chances of getting into heaven and not the other place, I mean I love the heat, especially coming from Canada, but I don’t like it that hot!
TJ, you've suffered more than anyone should. My heart breaks for you. Thank you for sharing your story. It helps us to put our own sufferings into perspective and live with more appreciation and purpose. I hope you have more good days than bad days and that time will reveal all the hidden blessings your extended time has brought to yourself and others.
@@LaDiiGiggleZ718 night sweats, abdominal cramping, severe nausea and diarrhea, bloody stools, loss total loss of appetite, dehydration, rapid weight loss, aching joints, etc…
I can totally understand how you feel. Sometimes the medical profession also seems to forget that there are most certainly worse things than death. I've always said that if I got a diagnosis that required massive intervention I wouldn't do it, but who knows until they are really faced with it? How are you now? Has your health gotten any better?
She looks like an angel, with such pure glowing skin. It’s unbelievable that these dark evil cells had been all over her young body, killing it from the inside. Rest In Peace :(
48 Hours later she's gone! She looked so healthy here! As someone who has had his life-clock "reset" by his Cancer surgeon, I wish to convey my SINCERE condolences to this young ladies friends and family. And - if she can be looking down on us now - may I just say. Only the good die young - you, sweet lady, must have been truly good!....
Oh my God. I've just felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the life and health I have. My problems have just been truly humbled. What a lesson. Thank you.
She said cancer was an awaking for her, and as a woman who doubles her age ,SHE is an awaking for me I must try harder and she from heaven can be proud of me , for her parents my prayers and my gratitude for bringing this unique gift to the world 🕊🌏🕊🌎🕊🌍🕊❤️🙏
@@anagomez9620 I am a child of my parents. NOT of some god, which DOES NOT exist. Also, why do you assume that your god is male? Females are the ones who give birth and not males.
I'll never get over losing my Mom back in 2010. What was supposed to be one of the greatest years of my life ended being a nightmare. While at my PhD graduation, my Mom complained about a bad cough. A week later, she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She didn't smoke, had always been in good health, and had just turned 59. She was gone in three months. We miss her dearly.
I am so sorry, I worked in an Neurological ICU as an RN. My mom died of metastatic breast cancer to her brain. I am so thankful for all the doctors I worked with and that my mom died at home with family and her dog with her.
My sister was 2 when she passed away from cancer.She was the light of all of our lives.She did her best to stay alive.She touched so many lives.R.I.P my angel ❤
She was so pretty, both inside and out. She was a wonderful human being. I cried as I watched her. I often feel extremely unlucky and sad for my poor health and think i don’t want to live anymore. Seeing this video somehow made me feel calm. Wherever you are Tamara, thank you and I hope you are in a better place now, where there’s no pain or worries or fear.
It can sometimes be so hard watching these videos with the realisation that the person you are watching is no longer alive in the world. Such a sad story of a wonderful young woman! I hope she is in the stars shining bright!
But its also a lesson for all of us who are alive; to spend time wisely and not waste it.. Unfortunately in my case wasting happens more often than not. Its like some folks who know smoking is bad for you but the temptation to smoke overpowers your knowledge.. But i am a work in progress...
I'm 63 years old and it's amazing how much I have learned from the beautiful soul of this young lady. She was taken too soon, yet she was so courageous through her battle to be the woman she became. RIP dear Tamara, you are missed.
What a beautiful spirit she had. I’ve had cancer twice but am so blessed to still be here. Tamara has reminded me of what I need to give thanks for daily.
A beautiful soul. May her family find peace knowing she is no longer in pain and ill. And that by sharing her story, she may help others going through similar experiences. Blessings.
Wow. The cancer matured her. Tammy: "I live my life with meaning now. Living each day with meaning is something so important to me. I find I'm so much more thankful for everything. For moments I get in my life." Thank you Tammy. For your words of wisdom!
Looking at her no one can say that she ever had a cancer. I am a arthritis patient but seeing this video gives me strength and courage. You are very beautiful.
Sleep well Tamara - your voice and your wisdom is your lasting legacy that still resonates. In modern western culture, we tend to measure life in years, but ironically, it's easy to waste many of them. But measuring a life in knowledge and strength are more important, as Tamara clearly showed us. Thank you for your courage and for sharing your story - a truly amazing lady.
Melanoma took my aunt in her early 40s. Cancer showed up in my thyroid and throat in 2012. My lymph nodes were all removed from my neck in surgery and I had radiation a few months after. Cancer is far from a gift and the side effects of treatment and surgery are life changing and lifelong. Cancer helped me put my life into perspective and realize that I really can't take anything in life for granted. RIP Tamara ❤
This video really hits home. When I was 19, I was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of skin cancer called Epithiliod Sarcoma. I had surgery and doctors expected to have me go thru radiation but ended up not recommending it. The type of cancer I got often shows up in the lymph nodes, bones, etc and when it does is usually fatal. I got mine in the absolute best possible spot--in the flesh of my calf. I am so thankful to have made it to 35 and to have a beautiful family...this video reminded me of just how incredibly blessed I am.
Aww I have chronic illness, was diagnosed at 18 and like she said that part about being strong that was like me, and I also never saw my worth or beauty before I was sick. I never expected to see myself in such a place of being sick but like she said it’s not a gift but an awakening. I can feel this 😭😭My heart goes out to her, she’s so beautiful! Rest In Peace ❤️😇🙏🏻
its videos like this that remind us how important it is to have self love and appreciate how precious each day is and not take anything or anyone for granted...wow thank you Tamara for your story...rest in peace Angel!!
This is beyond heartbreaking and also so terrifying. I’m so grateful for her honesty and how she just said exactly how she was feeling- stage fact that she was scared. What an amazing person.
RIP strong one. Your DM passes our now truly out of this world... soaring ever higher in the twists of the universe. Bless you for all whom you have touched.
I'm glad i watched her testimony, she looked so brave, aware and awoke about her current status it made me feel calm and strong again; and im saying that because I'm actually going through a huge depression and this testimony lift me up, gave me the strenght to keep up. I'm an HIV+ Ud. guy, unemployed and wanted to end everything soon or later but not anymore. Thanks Tamara and my condolences to her family.
Sadly I lost my husband to cancer within 7 weeks of being diagnosed, not near enough time to came to terms with what was happening.We wish he had of had a doctor that listened and seen all the red flags. The saddest thing of all he was so relieved when he was diagnosed because he knew he wasn't insane as this doctor applied. I am so sorry for your families loss try to be happy and smile because you had an amazing daughter
Crying my eyes out 😭😭😭😭 how sad! It’s crazy that we think we can live forever and have such a hard time finding peace, meaning, and gratitude. It shouldn’t take a terminal illness to find that in our lives. This girl is so wise beyond her years. So sorry for her family’s loss. Rest easy sweet angel!
David Meyers this seems upside down...shouldn’t we take the time to hug our PARENTS? Once they’re gone, they’re gone. I have no intention of out-living my kids....
"I don't think I would want to be that old girl because I've learned so much." SAME. An "awakening" is a great way to put it and she explained everything so well. RIP
i had symptoms of breast cancer and i panicked so much and became restless. i went to the doctor and thankfully i discovered i was alright. that experience and looking at these videos of people who deal with the situation, it feels like they cope better than how i would. i wish i was more at peace with my own mortality. id rather live my last days feeling peaceful than overwhelmed with fear.
If you think about it, life itself is a terminal disease. We're all condemned to death no matter what, so we better figure out a good and meaningful way to live our lives before the last moment comes. Let's be kind to each other and have fun, folks! 😊🤙
Nick, you are right about we are all condemned to death. That disease is SIN. All humanity has inherited Adam's sinful nature; the wages of sin is death but the gift (love) of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The only remedy is the Blood of Jesus. A-dmit to God you are a sinner, B-elieve Jesus died and rose on the 3rd day, C-all on God to forgive you. Then you can be sure of having a meaningful life on earth and a home in Heaven. Jesus Loves you!
I have come to that realisation recently. It’s almost quite a relief to accept. Stop looking for what may be wrong with you every day and just live it like it’s your last
She died two days after the video was uploaded. She never had the chance to read all the wonderful messages people send her from all over the world. Makes it even more sad.
It’s astounding to me that you didn’t see yourself as anything but beautiful and amazing. What a terrible, terrible loss. Fly high precious angel. You have so very much to be proud of. God bless you and your family as well as your loving boyfriend. 💔
Having a life is a gift; but only if you live with a meaning, as Tamara said. She was wanting to be an accomplished gymnast but was unhappy because she felt ugly and unhappy. But the news of the cancer, awoke her. What that mean? Time is precious, spend it wisely and meaningfully. Thank you for your wise words ,Tamara. May your soul rest in peace.
not for us to decide about that timing. We are clueless, but full of cliches; like the RIP one.....the most ridiculous one. Death and resting are not the same.The organic bodies rot while the energy that made us what we are, is alive and well....not resting. Energy does not rest. It constantly changes, for the better. Rest is required to keep organic bodies recharged. No need for rest after they turn back to dust.
Makes me so sad that a perfectly gorgeous talented young girl would even feel that way at all! And that is the truth on how so many of us feel everyday! Thank you so very much for the beautiful strong message here! ❤️
Cancer is the only disease that I can think of, that can make a person see their physical and mental state disintegrate within a matter of few months, it's like watching you age over 60 yrs in just a matter of few months !
vk harman, thanks for acknowledging the mental health side of cancer, I am stage 4 and crippled with depression, absaloutely everything is a struggle, i never thought id say this but I can handle the physical side of cancer but not the mental side. Im recently married and the day was best day of my life and for once I wasnt the sick girl. . Im never on you tube and this was recommended. I was meant to see this .May she Rest in Peace.
Tamara O’Brien was my girlfriend , and I’m incredibly lucky to have been able to spend the time together with her that we had. It makes me happy to see that her story is being shared around the world. Tams you are my angel. I’ll love you always and forever
Lucky you to have been there for her. She was a great human being. Also, sorry for your loss.
Wow this is so hard
I am so very sorry for your loss.
Although i don't know you, your courage and support for Tamara just shows what a wonderful man you are.
Its the story of One movie?
she looked so healthy here, weird how quickly she passed away... unless this was filmed a long time before it was uploaded?
My wife died at age 22 of melanoma over 40 years ago, and I still miss her.
Oh man, so sad
Life is cruel
God bless u & your BEAUTIFUL WIFE. 😇🦋🇨🇦❤
@@mar5423 sure is Marie.🇨🇦❤
@@mar5423 Yes ... it so often is.
I am 70 years old. I have basically never been sick in my entire life. And when I think sometimes that I wish I had done this or that, I stop and say how thankful I am just for living, and how sorry I am to see stories like Tamara's.
I'm 64 and I could have written this. It's so sad and unfair when a young person dies of anything. It makes me stop my complaining and to stop taking my life for granted. RIP Tamara, sweet girl.
I remember when my late husband received his stage 4 cancer diagnosis. We came homes
and sat on the couch together and he APOLOGIZED to me. Why I asked him? I promised I would take care of you always (I had been recently diagnosed with a chronic debilitating disease but not life threatening) and now I won’t be able to. That man was and is the epitome of love to me.
Wow
Oh my goodness, you were blessed to have him
I cant stop crying at this comment.
Meena Mathew thank you, he survived almost 2 years after his diagnosis. Our son was granted leave to come home from Afghanistan to see him. He was able to be there for the birth of our first grandchild, we went on a couple of adventures he always wanted to go on. When the end was near he even was able to choose where he wanted to die, his family’s lake house. We set up his hospital bed so he could gaze out on the lake, took him out on one more boat ride and celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. He died peacefully in bed with me by his side. He still ended up taking care of me as he left me with no debt, a paid for home and life insurance so that even though I am disabled I am taken care of. I am truly blessed.
@@maryblooms4599 That was truly beautiful, thank you for sharing your story with me. As lucky as you were to have him, he was just as lucky to have you.❤
Damn, it doesnt feel right hearing a 22 year old reminice about their life as if its already over. Extremely sad. Rip
Adrian Bayley She died
Code Name yeh read description
She is OK now.
When she said she did something at age 11, I thought, "Wow. That was middle aged for her."
Chris S Jesus..
I'm glad she said cancer is not a gift. I watched my partner fight cancer for over 3 years, he lived 1 month over what they said he would. He fought hard & remained positive throughout. To hear someone you love & planned on spending a lifetime with tell you they are dying & there's nothing they can do is beyond heartbreaking. Miss him every second of everyday. Her positivity and honesty was inspiring, sad to hear she has since passed. RIP beautiful girl♥️
I know how u feel as my hubby has glioblastoma n I feel as if theres a clock ticking. Cancer is a curse n its now an experience n not just a word for me. Better to not know that some one is going to die. I wish u strength. Just cherish the memories but live your life to the fullest.
@@simlamaharaj1695 thank you for your kind words. I have been lucky to find happiness after so much sadness but always wonder what if... So sorry to hear this, wishing you & your husband all the strength, there is no handbook for how to deal with it, it's a rollercoaster. I agree sometimes best to not know as you say it feels like the clock is ticking. Just try cherish every minute & don't think too far ahead. Almost impossible to do I know but I so wish when my partner was alive I spent less time worrying what the future held & more time enjoying the present with him❤
@@thedustiev1 Thank you ❤ U 100% correct ; I must try to liv in the present no matter how difficult it is.
@@thedustiev1 Sorry for your loss.
"To hear someone you love & planned on spending a lifetime with "
FYI this is but a brief pause in your life together. One day you both will be united together again. In the meantime, cherish every wonderful moment you had together.
Continue to live your life! He's going to want to hear all your stories here on earth. He doesn't want to miss any of it! Live today, bring those memories with you for your future meeting.
@@benstr8156 thank you for the very touching words & yes nice sentiment to think about
Currently 23 and going through chemotherapy for a rare blood cancer. Crazy how you can feel perfectly normal and have a life threatening illness. Bless this woman.
I hope you get better again!
I hope you will get well soon
Praying for you Abby! I had aplastic Anemia in 1998 a serious blood disorder.😘🌹
Vivianne Wright loool snap, mine’s not as serious. But i’m also anaemic. Glad you got over that :)
Abby love you babe. praying for you.
She died 2 days after this was uploaded. Rest in peace, Tamara.
April P. It is so sad but I believe she is happier now that she is not suffering
How do you know?
@@onefreebird1 it's in the description
oh my goodness.
Soooooo, I was typing before I got through her testimony! So sorry to her family and loved ones. 💖🌻🌷 Rest in Heaven dear Tamara. I am a 54 yr old Christian. Tamara you have given me the gift of realizing just how precious life truly is.
she was my cousin. we didn’t know each other very well, and only really met a couple times, but she was such a sweet soul. rip Tamara
You were meant to do such great things in this life.. I’ll never understand cancer
Sorry for your loss. How is things now ?
And I'm playing short stop for the Mets
then search it up ?
I’m stage 4. Just had hysterectomy. Two more chemos to go. I refuse to die. Having cancer makes a person mentally strong. Good luck to us all. This poor girl. So young. RIP. Xxx
Allycat g keep fighting !❤️
You GO GIRL!!
Keep going, I hope you are okay❤️🙏🏽
U are in my prayers
I wish you all the best! Sending love.
Hi everyone! My name is Hanna Jovin and I am the director of the series, Before & After. It's incredible to see the response on this video. When I met Tamara, all she ever wanted was to be able to tell her story to a wide audience. I am so grateful that her words have been heard so widely, and touched so many of you. She was wise beyond her years and will be missed so much. Thank you for watching!
Thank you .. I am embracing malignant melanoma and I have had it for over a year and worked through it .. Being a tough guy .. I have been watching many brave young women and men .. Dealing with this and it is inspiring to be shown .. Thank you and bless this Child of God .. She is Home
Im positively numb death will come swift to me I will ensure it does
Thanks for sharing, crying inside.
Dear Ms. Jovin, thank you for bringing Tamara to all of us. You've succeeded. She has succeeded.
You both have my sincere appreciation.
She was a very brave girl to do that not knowing when her day was going to be such a lovely girl so sad that she passed away rip may you show them upstairs what you was extremely good at
Be grateful for your health. Please people, life is so short. This story made me, a grown man who rarely cries, cry his eyes out. God bless the family of this woman.
20 years or 100 years aint matter man! Just live the moment. I only feel life when i go to mountains for hiking. Thats why, its better to spend for your own. i completely concur
Lies again? Heal Cancer Cheap Athletics
@@NazriB lies again? What do you mean by that?
Hey, you should probably cry more. Grown men who rarely cry are way too common, it's actually chill to cry when you need to, and trust me, you certainly need to now and then.
❤❤
I’m glad she didn’t say cancer is a gift. She has a great attitude without that nonsense
Esther B. Absolutely. Cancer is a tragedy. My dad died of cancer. Tamara had her whole life in front of her. RIP
Myri Мириам both my parents died of it.2016 and 2017.
Kristen B my prayers for you 🙏
She also said "would I trade the person I am now with not having cancer" and she didn't think she would.
Yes, saying that cancer is a gift is nonsense
I know it's completely random but there's something deeply unfair about a person getting a terminal cancer diagnosis so young. She has so many decades more that she should get to live.
everything seems so random really. whatever you have going for you is a gift. people don't get what they deserve, and I really question the existence of God.
I agree. To me it's always a disgusting glitch of the universe. Incredibly unfair, especially for youth that are so eager to achieve in life.
It's totally unfair. 22 years old, you are barely starting- thankfully most people don't realize how young they are at that age (I certainly didn't), but when you are 60, like me, you see it, and yes, it is incredibly unfair.
@@frankpaya690 You question the existence of God only because people die!!God has already decided your life,age,fate.
Before you were born!!
Death is the bitter fate we all will experience!!
This only proves God's existence and not your stupid disbelieve in God.
God created life and death to test us...Death isn't the end but the beginning...
She grew stronger and so wise and at peace in her short years than a lot of us in our many. 🦋 And there is Eternity, God promised that. This is not all there is. 🌈 🕊
This was so hard to watch for me. I lost my daughter of 37 yrs last year to cancer. It was so aggressive this thing. She was slim, beautiful, ate healthy food, exercised, had strong abs, and so many plans for her life. She was successful in her business, did so much good in the world. And then, pouf, gone.
Oh Tamara! How my heart aches for you, you beautiful young thing. Just starting out in life, working so hard at your sports, as fit as can be, and then wham! Your life cut short so suddenly. We have to find a cure for this awful thing. It has robbed us of our young. Rest in peace, dear Tamara. What a shining light you are.
I'm so sorry for your tremendous loss. May you find comfort in happy memories. 😭🙏💐
@Sad Monk It was Epitheloid Sarcoma - cancer of the soft connective tissue. No hope with this one. Its fast and deadly.
God bless you dear lady , what you've endured is something so hard i'm sure there are no words to describe it . Please take good care of yourself because you're precious . Your loving daughter will always be by your side . I'm sending you positive vibes from venice italy , if you have the chance come to visit it in the winter time . It's a magical, calm ,nostalgic place . I'll love to show you around. Ciao giovanna
I’m so terribly sorry 🙏
I feel this. I'm also 37 and have stage 4 cancer. I was healthy, fit, great job, great social life. Now all gone.
Crying my eyes out. I was diagnosed at 21 and I feel her pain and I feel so so sorry. I agree it is not a gift. I've been in remission 3 years this June.
God bless u Leah. 🦋🇨🇦❤
glad you made it thru the other side Leah 🙌live each day for ones who didn’t make it
Actually people can never be cured of cancer because cancer stem cells can’t be killed
Leah Groom by god blessing you are here ... great to hear from a survivor like you .. stay blessed .....
@@toyota420xp Alright then pal take your negativity somewhere else then.
"I didn't think I was beautiful."
Dear God, what are we doing to ourselves.
Self-worth problems is a disease that cancer feeds off . Wow
Wheather she is or not is or should be irrelevant, otherwise were do you leave "non-pretty" people?
Sacerdotus Sacerdotvs people who don’t ask to be born only to inevitably become sinners and then suffer punishment because of it. Sounds gr8.
@Sacerdotus Sacerdotvs I'm so glad a spokesperson for God piped in to explain things.
You're a sorry fool.
@Sacerdotus Sacerdotvs "$od punished her for her sins" LOL 😆👏 Please, honey get back to the middle ages. You are funny but way too ignorant.
Hi there
I’m 41 years old and I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. I’ve lost so much over the last year and I wanted to wish anyone out there who was/has been diagnosed with cancer that you are loved and prayed for and for the families that took care of the sick-you will get your blessings 100 times over. And for the angels that we lost to this lethal disease-we will all be together again one day soon 🙏😢
Hi, I hope you're doing well
I’m sorry that is happening to you.
Checking in. Hope you’re ok.
How do you feel now? Are you getting any help?
How are you now.
I can’t believe I am complaining for having my university exam in two days and I am crying because of this...this girl was 22 like me right now 😞...life is so unfair and unpredictable ...
Antonella9713 you're so right
Same
Same here
Antonella9713 you can complain, just because someone else’s life is harder the yours doesn’t make your life hard or easy. A life can be hard but there’s always some harder and easier off then you, though don’t feel to much self pity
Antonella9713 - Cry if that's what you need to do, but then go live your life, which is a beautiful gift. Nobody's life is perfect, beautiful, and fun-filled every moment, but that's not really the point. Does what you're doing - studying, walking your dog, emailing your friend - have meaning for you? Do the people who love and support you know you love them? If the answers are yes, then you leave the world a little better each day you're alive, even when it may not seem so because you're studying endlessly, or stressed out. Don't waste a minute feeling bad about things that don't matter, and things that really, really matter are few: your soul, your loved ones, and those principles you feel passionately about. Do good work, treat others and yourself well, and the world will be a better place because you are in it!
In June 2019, Tamara learnt that the cancer had spread to her brain, and throughout her body, and in September learnt that the disease had progressed significantly. She passed away peacefully in October 2019. This tribute appears to have been filmed earlier in 2019. It's not uncommon for a cancer patient's health to decline very rapidly towards the end. She was very beautiful and insightful while facing a grim prognosis in her early twenties when this was filmed. So unfair.
The only thing worse than having cancer is having a child with cancer. Prayers to the parents, family and friends of this sweet, beautiful, wise, smart girl.
hm, why not send them choclate kettle?
ALS is worse.
I absolutely agree.
Our son survived a medullablastoma and had a 20% chance surviving it.
He was 10 and now 27.
And this story brakes my heart.
Clasina Goudkuil Well I’m very glad for your family. I don’t know if you have ever heard of Brene Brown - but she said that “Gratitude for your situation makes me know that you are aware of the gravity of my loss.” ❤️ Take Care. Love to your family ❤️
Did he do anything differently
@@rebeccamendez2691 no they took a chance with chemotherapy for adults and his body coped
@@ClaSinaGDK being a mother myself, I can't imagine the scare that was, and the gratitude you must feel everyday towards the doctors and modern medicine for keeping him here with you. Glad he is a fighter! Hope you get many more years together xo
World without cancer by edward Griffen. In it has cures. God bless .
I hate to hear that anyone has cancer but it really gets to me when it's someone so young 💔
Especially when she's learned such major life lessons at that age. So sad she can't go on with her knowledge and attitude for others in the future. Heartbreaking.
Tamara O'Brien ~ I am praying for you.
God be with you. In Christ's love, Michelle.🙏✝️💕
Sacerdotus Sacerdotvs What a horrible thing to say.
@Sacerdotus Sacerdotvs We are all sinners.
Having stage 4 cancer is brutal. After almost 2yrs of treatment and many surgeries, I'm constantly pivoting, putting faith in my oncologist, medical science and body. Thank you for sharing this story.
put fath in allah only gad can treat you and makes miracles ♥️
@@n3kbebe186 Disgusting comment.
@@n3kbebe186 Disgusting lies.
@@p4nd4b01 - feel sorry for people who don't believe or have a relationship with God. Fairytale? Maybe - but 3 things I have that I owe to God when I am all alone - deep peace - joy (deep happiness) - and feeling REALLY loved. I almost died (twice) - became blind (totally devastated - but gained it back). Psalm 120:1 says "I CRIED to the Lord - in my DARKEST hour - and He rescued me!"
@@zhihonghuang5203 It has nothing to do with "god" - you just have imagined a friend or a supporter (which is totally ok).
How can someone look so healthy and pass away 2 days after making the vid. .what a courageous beautiful girl
A friend of mine died of liver cancer. She did pretty well until the last 4 weeks.
My friends dad died of melenoma too. He also managed decently until his last week.
Once the organs start shutting down it is just a few days.
First of all, this video was probably filmed around a month before being uploaded.
Secondly, cancer replaces and destroys healthy tissue. Your body is resilient and can cope with quite a lot of destruction but as soon as it reaches a certain tipping point your body loses so much of that function that cannot cope, eg. because your kidneys gave out, your lungs stopped exchanging gas, or an infection takes over because your immune system is gone. When the tipping point in question is reached, you deteriorate quickly and typically only have a few weeks to a few months before you die.
@@PirateTHESteam1 thanks for explaining . X
This video was posted on Oct 13th but recorded 9 months earlier. Look at the URL it tells you. God Bless.
@@malamuteaerospace6333 awwww thanks xxx
She was an athlete and she probably had a very healthy life (no cigarettes, no drugs, no alcohol). She died of cancer anyway. This is a very valuable lesson. Live every day like it is the last of your life. R.I.P. Tamara O'Brien.
Yeah... and criminals get to survive.
Thank you God for the "perfect" world you created...
any sun damage is associated with melanoma. tan is skin damage. people don't think about it
I’m dying of stage 4 now and I just turned 35. Diagnosed 14 months ago and probably have another 1-2 more years according to my dr. Hearing her was inspirational
@@jillrose6827 I hope you can live every moment of your life in an amazing way. That you can make everything counts. I'm 35 myself and I'm inspired by both of you. May you can have a beautiful life. Stay strong!
I would like to add that if you are living in the city, eat food with pesticides, slather cosmetics on your skin, ... saying you live a very healthy life is a dangerous lie. There are carcinogens everywhere due to the way we live. Also, cancer sometimes takes decades to develop, and the human body has at least 10 mechanisms to prevent cells from becoming cancerous, in order to get cancer, all of your defenses have to go down. Even something as small as a folate deficiency can cause your body to stop working properly. Also, for the first time in our history humans are bombarded with electromagnetic radiation everywhere, which on animal studies, does have harmful effects. I'm not saying all of this to encourage a self-defeating attitude, I'm saying this because we as a community can do better for ourselves and others.
I have lost my grandfather, brothers and now my nine-year-old granddaughter to cancer. And I know just how devastating it can be.
So sorry 😢
Oh my. Genes
Geez you guys need to stop breeding that ain’t right !!!
@@zhaviyah84horrible person aren't you
@@zhaviyah84 I recommend you google "eugenics".
What a inpactful statement that she wouldn't trade who she is now.. Such a beautiful soul. I'm glad I took the 8 minutes and 7 seconds to watch her. ❤
Me too...very poignant 8 minutes ❤🙏
me too
Jewel Haines Me too. I have much to learn from her. 🦋🌈
Me too, I was so sad to see she passed RIP sweet girl xoxo
She has a youtube channel where she documented her journey. I was a longtime subscriber. It was really sad when she passed. She really thought she was gonna be ok😢... ❤❤❤❤
WOW.
I've been battling stage 4 cancer for 3 yrs now. It's not easy. It's suprising how strong you can be when you don't have any other choice.
I feel the same way.
It IS an awakening!
I WISH YOU STRENGTH AND COURAGE.
NEVER BACK DOWN AND NEVER GIVE UP.
Hope you keep fighting. Do not leave a stone unturned. Your life is worth it. There are many stories I have read and seen where they have been helped tremendously.
Stay Strong! I hope you get through it as fast as possible.
You’re a warrior. Never forget that.
Scary Funny I’m glad you are beating it!
You're incredible. Never stop fighting. I wish you the best 🙏 much love to you and your family
She looks so healthy and vibrant in this video. You wouldn’t think that anything was wrong physically. God bless her 💜
Yeah and that's exactly why people aren't taken seriously when they present their symptoms to the Drs. You don't have to look like death to be sick. Many people suffer from invisible illnesses too. Please lose the ignorance.
she looks a lot better than before...
I really don't know how youtube algorithms works but I'm glad its recommended me this video...I'm going through a tough depression due to some health issue...Seeing her so strong so beautiful, so positive at the end of her journey truly gives me hope... May her soul rest in peace.
Tensia Mukomene stay strong sweetie ♥️
@@Sophie-gn8jw thank you 💓
@Yafreisigc stay strong my friend 💪
Tensia Mukomene ~ it wasn't an accident you viewed this video🙂
Self love begins as an act of will. Especially when you're starting from nothing. Bless this woman and all whose lives she touched. She touched mine just now.
She's right, it wakes you up. I have cancer. We all pass over though. We're just more awake than those without it.
Getting that terminal diagnosis at any age is awful. I've had to give that diagnosis to people, young and old, that we've found cancer everywhere in their body and there is nothing we can do to fix them.
It's awful. Cancer is awful, and finding Stage IV cancer is so traumatic.. The look on peoples' faces when they first hear that diagnosis is heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking.
And she is beautiful. Just beautiful.
MissLilRedRooster Thank you for the work you do. I can’t begin to imagine the emotional impact your work has on you and others who work in your field. You come across as a very compassionate person and if I ever receive difficult news I would want to receive it from someone like you.
I hope you get the emotional support required for dealing with giving people such bad news. I can only imagine the strain that must put on you emotionally.
Cannabis oil, gerson therapy and ultrasound all cure cancer.
I'm a cancer survivor, but I just gotta ask: isn't it possible to just throw in as much chemo as possible, if people are full of cancer?
@@hayleyb6257 My friend died of breast cancer believing your crap.
Around April 8th,2021 my life came crashing down. I was diagnosed with B-Cell ALL. I’ve never smoked, hated drinking tbh and I was really active ( especially in 2020, when I was gone for a Years worth of training with the Marines in Cali ). I thought I was strong because of my previous accomplishments, but what Tamara was saying really hit the ball. I really don’t think my personal Cancer journey is a “gift”or will it ever be considered one.
But it for sure was an awakening. I turned 21 and it’s been a year since my diagnosis. I’m not sure what to expect, but we shall see. To those who are fighting, keep going… I know the emotions all to well.
I hope your going well, knock the cancer out of the park, xxx
How are you doing? Are you still there? Existing? Feels weird to ask this question. I have never thought we read alot of comments of random people all the time but never realized how this person might be dead now might not EXIST ANYMORE! isn't that........ Fascinating?
@@purplepants3664 sadly alive haha
@@Novabunny_ Stay strong. All the best!
@@Novabunny_ B cell ALL does have a better prognosis. Stay strong little brother 💪
Nothing is more sad than 1, seeing someone with cancer at only 22 years old, and 2, being reminded that you don't have to be 70 years old to have cancer.
My sister was diagnosed at age 11, and passed on Thanksgiving day at age 21. Babies are diagnosed everyday with cancer. The assumption that only old people get cancer is strangely out of touch.
@@r.coffman1431 It's the foods and water and air we breathe. They're forcing cancer on us so they can depopulate the planet. Everything is potential cancer out there.
Cancer is not rare. All ages can get it. It's scary.
@@borinakoune1803 Bro stfu
Most are closer to 70 though. 22 year olds should think ”it's unlikely to happen to me”, because that's the truth. But of course, ”unlikely” doesn't mean impossible.
My mom died two weeks ago, after 35 years of battle. She discovered her cancer when I was one. No one believed she would live passed 5 years. She always said love of you (me) has kept me alive. Tamara I wish you all the love. Your strength can take you far. Xxx
Sorry for your loss
I am so sorry for your loss Julia
I am sorry for your mother's death but i hope you know what a treasured person you were. To be the purpose and source of strength for your mother to live on is a huge thing!
*past
At 20, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Crohn’s disease. At 21, my entire large intestine ruptured, I died for two minutes, they were able to resuscitate me and go on to perform at 12 hour surgery where they found two small tumours growing on the outside of my now shattered large intestine. If they had gone unnoticed any longer, it would’ve killed me in six months, I literally had to die to save my own life. But that was just the beginning. I’m now 51 and I’m on permanent long-term disability. I’ve had 37 surgeries, they have removed over 95% of my G.I. tract. I’ve had four relapses of intestinal cancer at the same time. Chances of survival were 5%, 10%, 5%, 5%… I’m 51 now, cancer free, intestine free, but still alive, so hell yes, it is an awakening, but if I have to be honest, there’s a lot of times I wished I wasn’t alive, because living like this with so much missing inside, has turned my life upside down and backwards more times than I can count. Is it wrong to say I wished that the cancer had killed me instead? Not being able to eat hardly anything, being sick every day of your life, not being able to do any of the things you used to enjoy, and being just plain miserable all the time, is too high of a price to pay for just being alive. There’s a big difference between living, and being alive. Unfortunately I am the latter, living is the most important, when you can do things that are fun, things that make you happy, even if it means going to work, I would give anything to be able to return to work, and have my life back. I did manage to get my degree while going through all that crap, and manage to work off and on, for almost 25 years, but it finally reached a point where I’m just too sick to do anything. Never confuse living for being alive, because being alive itself isn’t enough, if you have no reason to live, and life is nothing but unbearable pain day after day for the rest of your life, then I’m not living, I’m just alive, but dead, or rather, waiting for death to finally take me, so I can finally live again on the other side, and I know there’s another side, because when I died, I got to see what awaits us, and it’s absolutely wonderful, I can’t wait to get back to it, but at the same time I can’t abandon all those people in my family who gave everything up to help me get through it. Be thankful you’re not me, I wouldn’t Wish this on anybody, the only claim to fame that I can make is that the cancer diagnosis percentages are never correct, the doctors are only going by the textbooks, and everybody is different. Unfortunately I survive 4 times when I should’ve died, sounds crazy I know, but if I knew what I was going to be facing after surviving everything, I would’ve gave up and let the cancer take me, because this is not living, it’s a State of perpetual pre-death. Ps - since first posting this, I am now 53, I was just diagnosed with lung cancer, seems it’s not quite finished with me just yet, but this time is different, for some reason I’m not panicking about it, probably because I’ve been through so much already, I’m not even sure if I’ll bother with the chemotherapy and radiation, but I will find it one way or the other, and whatever happens happens, I literally put my fate in gods hands (and if you’re not religious, then I’ll simply say I’m leaving it up to fate). I spent too many years in total panic and chaos, I’m not putting myself through that again, and I really am OK if this time I can’t win the battle, because I know that life still goes on, just in a different way. I have always believed that this mortal existence is but the first step, and like I said before I know what awaits us, I just pray to God that I haven’t messed up my life and jeopardize my chances of getting into heaven and not the other place, I mean I love the heat, especially coming from Canada, but I don’t like it that hot!
TJ, you've suffered more than anyone should. My heart breaks for you. Thank you for sharing your story. It helps us to put our own sufferings into perspective and live with more appreciation and purpose. I hope you have more good days than bad days and that time will reveal all the hidden blessings your extended time has brought to yourself and others.
Hey what were your symptoms?
@@LaDiiGiggleZ718 night sweats, abdominal cramping, severe nausea and diarrhea, bloody stools, loss total loss of appetite, dehydration, rapid weight loss, aching joints, etc…
Aww... 💔 thinking of you TJ.
I can totally understand how you feel. Sometimes the medical profession also seems to forget that there are most certainly worse things than death. I've always said that if I got a diagnosis that required massive intervention I wouldn't do it, but who knows until they are really faced with it?
How are you now? Has your health gotten any better?
*Cancer teaches you that no one is immune to the fragility of life, but also it teaches you how strong you never thought you were. R.I.P. Tamara*
She looks like an angel, with such pure glowing skin. It’s unbelievable that these dark evil cells had been all over her young body, killing it from the inside. Rest In Peace :(
48 Hours later she's gone! She looked so healthy here! As someone who has had his life-clock "reset" by his Cancer surgeon, I wish to convey my SINCERE condolences to this young ladies friends and family. And - if she can be looking down on us now - may I just say. Only the good die young - you, sweet lady, must have been truly good!....
recording might have been earlier than that actually, they might have uploaded it at a later date after editing + putting together the footage
Really 2 days?
CHEMO is a killer toxic.
Oh my God. I've just felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the life and health I have. My problems have just been truly humbled. What a lesson. Thank you.
Very brave person
She said cancer was an awaking for her, and as a woman who doubles her age ,SHE is an awaking for me I must try harder and she from heaven can be proud of me , for her parents my prayers and my gratitude for bringing this unique gift to the world 🕊🌏🕊🌎🕊🌍🕊❤️🙏
Ana Gomez beautiful ❤️
Prayer is useless.
sandgrownun66 you are a child of God and he lives you belive!!!!!!
@@anagomez9620 I am a child of my parents. NOT of some god, which DOES NOT exist. Also, why do you assume that your god is male? Females are the ones who give birth and not males.
I'll never get over losing my Mom back in 2010. What was supposed to be one of the greatest years of my life ended being a nightmare. While at my PhD graduation, my Mom complained about a bad cough. A week later, she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She didn't smoke, had always been in good health, and had just turned 59. She was gone in three months. We miss her dearly.
So sorry for your loss. Almost the same story with my loving father.
I am so sorry.
God rest your beloved Mother's soul in perfect peace and love.
Same story here. Started with a cough, was diagnosed 6 weeks later with stage 4 lung cancer. This was 4 years ago.
I’m sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry, I worked in an Neurological ICU as an RN. My mom died of metastatic breast cancer to her brain. I am so thankful for all the doctors I worked with and that my mom died at home with family and her dog with her.
When you face mortality just think about all the kids who have died and never got to experience life as long as us.
My sister was 2 when she passed away from cancer.She was the light of all of our lives.She did her best to stay alive.She touched so many lives.R.I.P my angel ❤
Never heard of this young lady but I'm deeply saddened by the news that she passed away. RIP Tamara.
So sad it took cancer to make her see how blessed she was. We all need to take a lesson from this
🙏
She was talking about how blessed she was when she won that medal. Are you deaf?
Realize how lucky you are to have your health and don’t take it for granted ppl
@Sacerdotus Sacerdotvs oh shut up.
Any S most probably 😂
She was so beautiful inside and out. She shared an important message for everyone, to enjoy each moment. Each day.
She was so pretty, both inside and out. She was a wonderful human being. I cried as I watched her. I often feel extremely unlucky and sad for my poor health and think i don’t want to live anymore. Seeing this video somehow made me feel calm. Wherever you are Tamara, thank you and I hope you are in a better place now, where there’s no pain or worries or fear.
It can sometimes be so hard watching these videos with the realisation that the person you are watching is no longer alive in the world.
Such a sad story of a wonderful young woman! I hope she is in the stars shining bright!
But its also a lesson for all of us who are alive; to spend time wisely and not waste it.. Unfortunately in my case wasting happens more often than not. Its like some folks who know smoking is bad for you but the temptation to smoke overpowers your knowledge.. But i am a work in progress...
Never considered herself beautiful? She was literally stunning, super pretty.
A Person this people has no sympathy
@@aperson5261 The commenter said nothing wrong.
This really put my stupid fears and problems into perspective.
Yes it sure does 😢😢😢...
Life is very unfair.... I just can't take that this beautiful soul had to undergo such a pain and after all that to leave so soon....RIP Tamara
Maybe she was meant for something else. We don't have to imagine death necessary as a punishment or the end of the consciousness
When did she die?
Yes life is so unfair 😔
@@aquarelhearts8248 People who believe in an afterlife should be committed.
The fact she passed away two days after this was published is just heartbreaking.
She passed away?
@@urbups1226 Yes. It's in the description!
What a beautiful soul. ❤️ I am so sad she lost her battle with cancer. May she rest in peace.
So inspirational, wise, and beautiful. You make me, and probably everyone who watches this, want to be better and make the most of every day.
i cry everyday
I'm 63 years old and it's amazing how much I have learned from the beautiful soul of this young lady. She was taken too soon, yet she was so courageous through her battle to be the woman she became. RIP dear Tamara, you are missed.
What a beautiful spirit she had. I’ve had cancer twice but am so blessed to still be here. Tamara has reminded me of what I need to give thanks for daily.
A beautiful soul. May her family find peace knowing she is no longer in pain and ill. And that by sharing her story, she may help others going through similar experiences. Blessings.
I'm stage 4 after 13 years of keeping cancer at arms length.😭 heartbreaking to hear her story and how quickly cancer took her.
Stay strong
Im so sorry Ester
Prayers for sure
Love to you and your family
@@valerielock2374 why prayers?? What can prayers do?? Nothing prayers don't kill cancer cells.
Wow. The cancer matured her.
Tammy: "I live my life with meaning now. Living each day with meaning is something so important to me. I find I'm so much more thankful for everything. For moments I get in my life."
Thank you Tammy. For your words of wisdom!
Didn't "mature", whatever it means, but changed perspective. It is not the same.
As a 3 time cancer survivor I can really relate to emotions felt. Enjoy your life & love as much as you can. Life is precious.
"God" must really hate you, he tried to kill you 3 times now
i concur. First rule is love your body more than anything which is your precious.
Looking at her no one can say that she ever had a cancer. I am a arthritis patient but seeing this video gives me strength and courage. You are very beautiful.
Sleep well Tamara - your voice and your wisdom is your lasting legacy that still resonates. In modern western culture, we tend to measure life in years, but ironically, it's easy to waste many of them. But measuring a life in knowledge and strength are more important, as Tamara clearly showed us. Thank you for your courage and for sharing your story - a truly amazing lady.
It was a privilege to have her share this powerful story as it would have been for you to know her. What an amazing woman. Very sorry for your loss.
Omg she is so breathtaking. You were and are always beautiful
Love you
Salley Ayad not anymore
What an articulate beautiful intelligent, wise young woman with a wonderful message for every single young person to here.
Melanoma took my aunt in her early 40s. Cancer showed up in my thyroid and throat in 2012. My lymph nodes were all removed from my neck in surgery and I had radiation a few months after. Cancer is far from a gift and the side effects of treatment and surgery are life changing and lifelong. Cancer helped me put my life into perspective and realize that I really can't take anything in life for granted. RIP Tamara ❤
A beautiful young woman who was the absolute warrior.
This video really hits home. When I was 19, I was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of skin cancer called Epithiliod Sarcoma. I had surgery and doctors expected to have me go thru radiation but ended up not recommending it. The type of cancer I got often shows up in the lymph nodes, bones, etc and when it does is usually fatal. I got mine in the absolute best possible spot--in the flesh of my calf. I am so thankful to have made it to 35 and to have a beautiful family...this video reminded me of just how incredibly blessed I am.
same here, angiosarcoma in my tghigh, i fight for 2 years. are you ok now?
Aww I have chronic illness, was diagnosed at 18 and like she said that part about being strong that was like me, and I also never saw my worth or beauty before I was sick. I never expected to see myself in such a place of being sick but like she said it’s not a gift but an awakening. I can feel this 😭😭My heart goes out to her, she’s so beautiful! Rest In Peace ❤️😇🙏🏻
its videos like this that remind us how important it is to have self love and appreciate how precious each day is and not take anything or anyone for granted...wow thank you Tamara for your story...rest in peace Angel!!
This is beyond heartbreaking and also so terrifying. I’m so grateful for her honesty and how she just said exactly how she was feeling- stage fact that she was scared. What an amazing person.
RIP strong one. Your DM passes our now truly out of this world... soaring ever higher in the twists of the universe. Bless you for all whom you have touched.
I'm glad i watched her testimony, she looked so brave, aware and awoke about her current status it made me feel calm and strong again; and im saying that because I'm actually going through a huge depression and this testimony lift me up, gave me the strenght to keep up. I'm an HIV+ Ud. guy, unemployed and wanted to end everything soon or later but not anymore. Thanks Tamara and my condolences to her family.
Dalmao Ceballos hang in there. The world needs you and loves you.
Stay strong xx
Sadly I lost my husband to cancer within 7 weeks of being diagnosed, not near enough time to came to terms with what was happening.We wish he had of had a doctor that listened and seen all the red flags. The saddest thing of all he was so relieved when he was diagnosed because he knew he wasn't insane as this doctor applied. I am so sorry for your families loss try to be happy and smile because you had an amazing daughter
Dear Tamara,
As far as I am concerned you are one of the greatest Canadian athletes of all time, right up there with Terry Fox.
B. John Doyle I used to jog about 40 years ago, and read running magazines, etc. I remember Terry Fox’s story. He was inspirational, too.
Crying my eyes out 😭😭😭😭 how sad! It’s crazy that we think we can live forever and have such a hard time finding peace, meaning, and gratitude. It shouldn’t take a terminal illness to find that in our lives. This girl is so wise beyond her years. So sorry for her family’s loss. Rest easy sweet angel!
"Would I wanna change not having cancer for the person I have become? I don't think so" That's powerful!
Bawling my eyes out. RIP sweet angel ,you're were brave and alive than most of us could ever be.
She is an angel now and was an angel during her mortal life.
Yup. Good ol' Murica. A country where 8 out of 10 people actually think angels are real!
Life is so unfair. My heart goes out to her friends and family. She looked a lovely person. Condolences and love from Scotland x
The world lost another precious gem.
@Phoenix Max u r ryt ...specially gem's family
Thank you for sharing your story. An "awakening" to love yourself is powerful. It's never too late. Thank you for the message.
Life can be so cruel. RIP.
See just like that you're gone. Take the time to hug your children. Because, once they're gone, they're gone. Truly sad 😢💔.
David Meyers this seems upside down...shouldn’t we take the time to hug our PARENTS? Once they’re gone, they’re gone. I have no intention of out-living my kids....
I almost didn't watch this video and am so glad I did. An real awakening.....
Trish Moon y
So much grace in such a young person. Rest in peace Tamara.
I did everything I could to die young, a day without danger just seemed unsatisfactory. I now am an old man and I know life is a wonderful gift.
"I don't think I would want to be that old girl because I've learned so much." SAME. An "awakening" is a great way to put it and she explained everything so well. RIP
"She never considered herself beautiful"
You are beautiful.
None of us are promised tomorrow. I'm so thankful for her reminder to embrace every day we are given. I'm so sorry we lost her.
i had symptoms of breast cancer and i panicked so much and became restless. i went to the doctor and thankfully i discovered i was alright. that experience and looking at these videos of people who deal with the situation, it feels like they cope better than how i would. i wish i was more at peace with my own mortality. id rather live my last days feeling peaceful than overwhelmed with fear.
Vitamin b17 prevent and cure cancer.
An incredibly strong woman to tell her story in the face of her mortality. RIP
If you think about it, life itself is a terminal disease. We're all condemned to death no matter what, so we better figure out a good and meaningful way to live our lives before the last moment comes. Let's be kind to each other and have fun, folks! 😊🤙
No, we are not condemned to anything, we are born and live and die. That is how things work.
Nick Aoke ~ yes😔
You're right.
Nick, you are right about we are all condemned to death. That disease is SIN. All humanity has inherited Adam's sinful nature; the wages of sin is death but the gift (love) of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The only remedy is the Blood of Jesus. A-dmit to God you are a sinner, B-elieve Jesus died and rose on the 3rd day, C-all on God to forgive you. Then you can be sure of having a meaningful life on earth and a home in Heaven. Jesus Loves you!
I have come to that realisation recently. It’s almost quite a relief to accept. Stop looking for what may be wrong with you every day and just live it like it’s your last
She died two days after the video was uploaded. She never had the chance to read all the wonderful messages people send her from all over the world. Makes it even more sad.
Really?😨 She look so fine in this video...
@@tximeleta35 The video wasn’t shot 2 days before her death.
Look up some of the top comments, this was filmed months before she died not two days.
What a beautiful soul, 🧡
It’s astounding to me that you didn’t see yourself as anything but beautiful and amazing. What a terrible, terrible loss. Fly high precious angel. You have so very much to be proud of. God bless you and your family as well as your loving boyfriend. 💔
Having a life is a gift; but only if you live with a meaning, as Tamara said. She was wanting to be an accomplished gymnast but was unhappy because she felt ugly and unhappy. But the news of the cancer, awoke her. What that mean? Time is precious, spend it wisely and meaningfully. Thank you for your wise words ,Tamara. May your soul rest in peace.
Such a beautiful soul, sent to heaven way too soon.
not for us to decide about that timing. We are clueless, but full of cliches; like the RIP one.....the most ridiculous one. Death and resting are not the same.The organic bodies rot while the energy that made us what we are, is alive and well....not resting. Energy does not rest. It constantly changes, for the better. Rest is required to keep organic bodies recharged. No need for rest after they turn back to dust.
There is no Heaven, there is no God. Face up to it, and live your life to the full while you can!
@@y.martel842 Try using a search engine to find out.
@@richardpearson2999 Well said.
@Earthly Fireflies Heaven DOES NOT exist. So no need to worry about that then!
Makes me so sad that a perfectly gorgeous talented young girl would even feel that way at all! And that is the truth on how so many of us feel everyday! Thank you so very much for the beautiful strong message here! ❤️
Cancer is the only disease that I can think of, that can make a person see their physical and mental state disintegrate within a matter of few months, it's like watching you age over 60 yrs in just a matter of few months !
sounds like a wake-up call ?
vk harman, thanks for acknowledging the mental health side of cancer, I am stage 4 and crippled with depression, absaloutely everything is a struggle, i never thought id say this but I can handle the physical side of cancer but not the mental side. Im recently married and the day was best day of my life and for once I wasnt the sick girl. . Im never on you tube and this was recommended. I was meant to see this .May she Rest in Peace.
Shirley not Art
lina nicolia a wake up call to what? This girl was young fit and healthy
@@artyoung9787 how are you doing ?