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Cat Janice Dies of Cancer, Taylor Swift Honors a Young Survivor and More

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From TikTok singer Cat Janice dying of cancer to Taylor Swift giving a 9-year-old with brain cancer the “22” hat during a recent concert, here is what’s happening in the oncology space this week.

Kyiv, Ukraine - October 1, 2019: Studio shot of hand holding Apple iPhone 8 with TikTok logotype on a screen. Isolated on a vibrant cyan paper background. | Image credit: © - bloomicon © - stock.adobe.com. 

TikTok-famous singer, Cat Janice, died of sarcoma, and left all of her music rights to her 7-year-old son.

Singer Cat Janice died of cancer.

Cat Janice, a singer who became famous via TikTok, died after being diagnosed with sarcoma in March 2022. She was 31 years old at the time of her death

Janice underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, which led doctors to tell her that she was cancer-free. However, in June 2023, the cancer returned in her lungs.

Before her death, Janice released “Dance You Outta My Head,” from hospice care. The song ended up on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 and Top 10 of Billboard’s dance and electronics chart. She also transferred the rights to all her music to her 7-year-old son, Loren.

In her final TikTok video, she said, “I’ve fought hard, but sarcomas are too tough. I reset all the songs to my son. And I wanted to put out one more song for my birthday. I wanted my last song to bring joy and fun! It’s all I’ve ever wanted through my battle with cancer.”

The wife of Tim Wakefield — an MLB player who died of cancer — also died from cancer.

Stacy Wakefield, the wife of Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, died of pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from the family.

“She was surrounded by her family and dear friends, as well as her wonderful caretakers and nurses. The loss is unimaginable, especially in the wake of losing Tim just under five months ago. Our hearts are beyond broken,” the statement read.

Tim died of brain cancer on Oct. 1, 2023, only three days after publicly announcing his diagnosis. The couple has two children together, Trevor and Brianna.

Taylor Swift gave her fedora hat to a child with cancer during a concert in Sydney, Australia.

Scarlett Oliver is a 9-year-old from Perth, Australia with an incurable form of brain cancer. She had the dream of meeting Taylor Swift, but when the Make-A-Wish foundation was unable to grant the wish, she got tickets to Swift’s concert thanks to “the power of social media and some generous people,” according to a post on X from Oliver’s stepmother, Natalie

Natalie also asked on a Taylor Swift fanpage that Oliver get the “22” hat that Swift gives out at concerts after performing her song, “22.” That dream came true when, during the concert, Swift knelt down and gave Oliver the hat before hugging her and kissing her hand.

The co-founder of the Pink Eraser Project for cancer vaccines was named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year.

Michelle Young, a breast cancer survivor, lawyer and co-founder of the Pink Eraser Project was recently named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year.

"Michele Young is a force of nature and truly deserving of this recognition. Her vision, leadership and tireless work on behalf of women with dense breast tissue have raised awareness, changed laws and – most importantly – saved lives. Knowing Michele, she views this honor as an opportunity to bring more visibility to her recently launched campaign to accelerate the development of a breast cancer vaccine," said Beryl Love, Cincinnati Enquirer, a USA Today Network publication, Executive Editor, according to PR Newswire.

READ MORE: Why Kristen Dahlgren Left NBC To Advocate for Breast Cancer Vaccines

Young co-founded the Pink Eraser Project with NBC’s Kristen Dahlgren with the goal of bringing scientists together to expedite the creation of a breast cancer vaccine.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.

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