Fil-Canadian social media star dies after years of battling cancer

Social media influencer Nalie Agustin passed away at 33, after years of struggling with breast cancer and gaining thousands of followers as she documented it. WEBSITE

Filipino Canadian YouTube star Nalie Agustin, whose years-long battle with cancer touched the hearts of thousands of her supporters on social media, has died at 33.

She gained popularity for her inspirational vlogging, which included personal entries documenting her battle with cancer.

Agustin published the e-guide Chemo Secrets, co-hosted the podcast Thriver Talks, founded the #Feelitonthefirst campaign  andproduce The Nalie Show.

She also appeared on stages at TED, Instagram, Facebook, the Miami Breast Cancer Conference, Marie-Claire and major networks such as CTV, ET Canada and Virgin Radio. All these while battling stage four metastatic breast cancer, which was initially diagnosed eight years ago.

A graduate of Concordia University’s communication and cultural studies program, Agustin candidly shared her experiences and inspirational messages to her more than 113,000 followers.

“I feel really proud to be Filipino Canadian sharing my story because growing up here in Quebec very rarely [do] you see faces of other women of other ethnicities when it comes to breast cancer. I represent a community that would remain more quiet usually,” Agustin had told Montreal City News.

“I found it very therapeutic to release my thoughts through writing. I started writing my blog in 2013 and being really public and open about how I felt. Initially, it was just so that I could update my big Filipino family and not have to repeat myself 10,000 times.

“Little did I know that there was a huge community out there of young women that were diagnosed with breast cancer too and they say it’s pretty rare that in your 20s, you’re going to have breast cancer,” she added.

Nalie Agustin on Entertainment Tonight Canada and with partner See Thakrar. WEBSITE

Announcement of her passing drew an outpouring of condolences on social media. Her family and that of partner Vee Thakrar thanked her supporters on her Instagram page:

“On behalf of the Agustin and Thakrar family, we thank you for your support and outpouring of love. We thank the Great Spirit for the gift of Nalie’s life.”

Agustin had penned a message on how she wished to be remembered (full text below).

“I don’t want to be remembered for the clothes I wear, the things I own, the places I’ve been.

I don’t want to be remembered for how I tie a headscarf or how well I pull off short hair. I don’t want to be remembered for the products I recommend, the treatments I have undergone, or even the remedies I practice to heal. 

I especially don’t want to be remembered for having cancer. 

I want to be remembered by how I made you feel in my presence. I want to be known as the one who remembered your birthday and went all out to make it special. I want to be remembered for every time I made you smile or cry tears of joy. 

 I want to be remembered for always giving it my best and, despite how I felt or what was said, I never stopped believing in me – and you. I want to be remembered for the way I loved, purely with all my heart and without barriers. I want to be remembered for the impact I made in your life.

I don’t want to be admired, I want you to feel inspired.

Through you and your inspired-living is how I wish to leave my legacy.”