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AN influencer has announced his death in a pre-recorded video shared to his social media account.
Tanner Martin, a dad, died following a five-year battle with stage four colon cancer.
The 30-year-old died just seven weeks after his wife, Shay, gave birth to their first child.
Tanner went viral after documenting his cancer battle.
A video was shared to the couple’s Instagram account that was captioned: “May the force be with you from our angel force ghost.”
“Hey, it’s me, Tanner, if you’re watching this, I am dead,” the video started.
Tanner revealed that he had a “heck of a life” and revealed he came up with the idea of publishing a video announcing his death around a year ago.
“Life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here,” he reminisced.
“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.”
In the clip, Tanner compared death to an “adventure” but admitted that it can be scary.
Tanner was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2020.
He was told the illness couldn’t be cured in 2023 and doctors said he had a life expectancy of two to five years.
Tanner died less than a week after he went into hospice care.
Shay revealed the decision was taken so he could manage his pain and discomfort better.
In a TikTok video shared in November last year, Shay announced that she was expecting a baby.
Symptoms of colon cancer
THERE are expected to be around 100,000 colon cancer diagnoses across the US in 2025, according to The American Cancer Society. Men have a one in 24 chance of being diagnosed with colon cancer, while the risk is one in 26 for women.
Symptoms
- Change in bowel habits
- Rectal bleeding
- Blood in the stool
- Stomach cramps or pain
- Weakness
- Tiredness
- Unexplained weightloss
Source: Mayo Clinic
The start of the clip showed her husband stroking and showing affection to his dog.
“Cancer has taken so much from us but… watch to the end for the biggest surprise yet,” the first caption said.
Shay acknowledged that Tanner wanted to be a father before his death.
She opened up on how she turned to IVF, but revealed sepsis and her husband’s cancer battle had proved to be hurdles in their journey.
Then, she shared pictures from a photo shoot of the couple holding newspapers.
The splash said: “Breaking News. Baby on the Way!” and the couple were showered in confetti.
The shoot rounded off with Shay clutching a teddy bear in one hand while holding onto a stroller.
And, a pacifier was put into Tanner’s mouth and he was given some photos from Shay’s scan to hold.
On May 15, Shay announced that he was able to see the birth of his daughter, Jiaozi.
