Influencer Tanner Martin issued a warning about two key signs of colon cancer shortly before announcing his death in a heartbreaking video.
The devastating announcement came in a poignant pre-recorded video shared on Instagram by his wife, Shay Wright.
“Hey, it’s me, Tanner. If you’re watching this, I am dead,” he started the video, smiling gently as he addressed the camera.
“I had a heck of a life. I decided to make this video announcing my death because I saw someone did that, like, a year or so ago, and I think it’s a good opportunity to get all your thoughts out," he added.
Though his voice was raspy and his appearance frail, Martin’s sense of humor and positivity remained strong. “But you guys, life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here,” he continued. “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.”
“There’s just a lot of people that for the afterlife, I’m excited to see them, and excited to see them not in pain and just happy,” he added. “I don’t know. I’m like, death is scary, but it’s also like a new adventure, you know. I’m excited to see what the experience is like, and hopefully it’s good.”
He closed the video by thanking his fans for their support, saying: “Thank you for the support and helping to make the last years of my life here on earth like fun and enjoyable and helping me be comfortable.”
Just weeks before his death, the late influencer posted a video on TikTok warning others about the signs of colon cancer that preceded his diagnosis.
“I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer when I was 25 years old, and the symptoms that I saw in that period of time included blood in the stool,” he shared. “And when I say blood, it wasn’t like a little blood, it was changing the colour of the water.”
Martin went on to describe the blood as “dark” and looking like “coffee ground,” pointing to potential internal bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. He also mentioned experiencing lower back pain and rapid fluctuations in weight.
“But the biggest sign was the bleeding and the frequency, cause I was going to the bathroom a lot, and sometimes it was just blood and blood clots,” he said. “But when I told my doctors about it, he tried treating my symptoms for a couple of months, and then we finally got a colonoscopy, which is where they found the cancer that had spread to my liver, making it stage four.”
He concluded the video with a heartfelt plea: if you have the same symptoms or a family history of cancer, see a doctor.
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Martin first began experiencing symptoms in 2020, initially dismissing them as simple stomach aches. As his condition worsened, a colonoscopy eventually revealed the cancer had already advanced to stage 4 and spread to his liver.
In 2023, doctors informed him that the cancer was incurable and gave him an estimated two to five years to live.
Despite the grim prognosis, he remained publicly upbeat, especially about becoming a father. He and Shay welcomed AmyLou on May 15 and shared the milestone with touching photos of each parent holding their newborn.
A second video shared by Shay on the day of her husband's death showed a visibly weaker Martin, wrapped in a blanket and sitting on a sofa, with AmyLou sleeping beside him on a pink pillow.
His voice barely audible, he spoke of the pain of knowing his daughter would likely grow up without memories of him.
In the video, Martin asked fans to support Shay and AmyLou through a GoFundMe campaign.
“Your support - whether it’s $1, $5, $50, or more - goes directly to helping Tanner’s two greatest loves, Shay and AmyLou, move forward with hope and security,” the campaign description read.
“For less than the price of a hot and spicy McChicken (Tanner’s words…LOL), you can give them a future Tanner only wished he could stay to provide,” it added.
As of the time of writing, $455,720 has been raised.