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“Hey, if you're watching this, I'm dead,” Martin, of Utah said in a video posted Wednesday, June 25. "I had a heck of a life."
Martin was diagnosed with cancer at just 25 years old in 2020. Throughout his illness, he used social media to speak openly about cancer, death, and the grief of leaving life behind. He answered followers’ most personal questions and reflected on what mattered most in his final days.
In one of his videos, Martin described his first symptom: Blood in his stool.
"When I went to the doctor because of my age, he didn’t think it was cancer, Martin said in a video last September. "He gave me some medicine that did stop the bleeding for six months. But six months, it came back with a vengeance."
That's when Martin got a colonoscopy and discovered the cancer, he said.
It's also when he realized he'd been experiencing other symptoms, like fatigue and weight loss, that he'd been attributing to other things happening in his life, he said.
According to the Colorectal Cancer Foundation, colorectal cancer may not cause symptoms right away, making regular screening the most effective way to detect and remove polyps before they become cancerous. Warning signs to watch for include changes in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, dark or bloody stool, abdominal pain, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss.
Martin entered hospice care one week ago. Weeks earlier, he and his wife, Shay, had welcomed a baby girl.
Martin thanked fans for all of their support to him and his wife, Shay.
"Life was awesome, I really enjoyed it while I was here. I believe there’s something after this and I’m excited to meet those people and hopefully we’re hanging out now and making fun of all you nerds."
In his final wish, Martin asked his fans to help him raise his daughter in his absence by donating to a GoFundMe created to support his family.
The funds, he said, would help “replace income, pay for babysitting, school, [and] a wedding. All these things that normally Shay or I would do together.”
Click here to view the campaign for Martin's wife, Shay, and baby girl.
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