Influencer posts final heartbreaking plea after announcing his own death on TikTok
Ellie Kemp
Featured Image Credit: TannerAndShay/Instagram
A TikTok star who died from cancer at the age of just 30 shared a heartbreaking final plea after announcing his own death.
Tanner Martin had documented his life with wife Shay Martin since 2020, following his terminal cancer diagnosis.
Earlier this week, his account released a video of himself announcing the news of his tragic death.
Saying that he wanted his 'final message' to be 'lighthearted,' he went on to speak about his 'heck of a life.'
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“Life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here,” he shared. “Hopefully, I believe there’s something after this. I’m excited to meet those people, and hopefully we’re hanging out now and making fun of all you nerds.”
Tanner was diagnosed with colon cancer when he was 25, and was told three years later that the illness could not be cured.
He was given between two and five years left to live. In the time between November 2020 and October 2024, Tanner underwent more than 50 rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, and six major surgeries, People reports.
The couple grew an audience by using social media to share their bucket list adventures following the heartbreaking prognosis Tanner received.
They flew to Ireland to renew their vows, visited Disney World, and went on vacation in Mexico and Italy. Tanner was a huge Star Wars fan and he managed to meet Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamil.
And now, Tanner had a final message to share on TikTok - a plea for the future of his family; Shay and their baby daughter, AmyLou.
Admitting that, sadly, his daughter may not have many, if any, memories of him alive, he told of how he had set up a GoFundMe page to help provide for his family.
“I just want to know that Jiaozi (his daughter's nickname) and Shay will be okay,” he said.
He didn't want Shay to carry the financial burden all on her own, and had thought hard about how they'd allocate the money they raised.
The family set up an initial target of $250,000, which has since moved to $750,000.
On the GoFundMe page, they explained how the first $90k or so will cover immediate costs such as rent, bills, food, counseling, baby essentials and medical and funeral expenses.
The rest would go towards childcare, school supplies, colleague tuition and all the way up to Amy Lou's wedding.
At the time of writing, the GoFundMe had already raised $704,470 across more than 33,000 donations.
“I think it’s important to talk about death, especially for other people in my situation,” Tanner told People in October last year. “This is something you want to prep for. You don’t want your spouse to have to plan your funeral and maybe not even have enough money to do so.”
Part of the prep involved working with a death doula, a person who helped the couple with end-of-life planning.
Shay announced in a TikTok post shared in November that she was pregnant, and she gave birth to their daughter, AmyLou, on May 15, 2025.
Speaking about their decision to have a baby, a caption on a TikTok video announcing the baby news read: "Cancer has taken so much from us. I know you wanted to be a dad so badly, but I got to see you be the best dog dad. We tried IVF and planned to have a baby, but sepsis and your cancer progressing prevented us. Until now."
Symptoms of colon cancer can include a change in bowel habits, blood in the stool and rectal bleeding.
Other signs might manifest as stomach cramps or pain, fatigue, tiredness or unexplained weight loss.