Influencer Zuza Beine has died at age 14 following a battle with cancer.
“It is with broken hearts that we share that Zuza died yesterday morning,” her family confirmed via Instagram on Tuesday, September 23. “She lived 11 of her 14 years with a relentless cancer, yet lived more fully and gratefully than most. Her being changed us forever, and her dying will too.”
Two days before news broke of her death, Beine — who amassed more than 1.8 million followers online — shared an Instagram video sharing that her diagnosis made her “deeply grateful for the everyday things that many people often take for granted,” including “being able to taste the most delicious foods” and “being able to do different hairstyles.”
“It is no coincidence to us that the last video she made captures what she was grateful for — a testament to a life filled with both beauty and suffering,” the family continued on Tuesday. “More than anything, she wanted to be a normal, healthy kid. But what made her life so beautiful was how she learned to face the hardest circumstances, like her disease, and still live fully.”
In lieu of flowers, the influencer’s family asked for any donations to be made via GoFundMe to her late uncle’s wife and children.
The comments section of the post was full of users sending condolences, and Little House on the Prairie‘s Melissa Gilbert was among them.
“I’m so, so sorry to hear this. Zuza was and will always be such an inspiration to me personally. She was a ray of light and beauty,” Gilbert wrote. “She was honest, forthright and real. She was brave and kind and open. The world will be a dinner place without her. My love to her family and all who knew and loved her. No more pain Zuza, for you now there is only beauty and peace.”
Beine, who was a member of the content creation group Glow House, had been candid about her battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Her Instagram bio indicates that she was a five-time survivor of the disease and received three bone marrow transplants.
Days before her death, Beine shared a series of clips of her crying and photos of her in the hospital. “My daily life has looked like this for the past 11 years,” she wrote. “I think I’ll be OK if you don’t like me.” She captioned the post, “I can barely walk right now I’m in so much pain.”
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