TikTok content creator Kiersten Dyke, who gained thousands of followers by openly documenting her battle with skin cancer, passed away on 26 April at the age of 25. Her boyfriend of nearly nine years, Dominic Cinfio, 24, announced her death via posts on Instagram and TikTok, confirming she died surrounded by family and friends. "She wasn't in pain," Cinfio wrote. She "passed peacefully" among loved ones.
Cancer Journey Begins
Dyke's cancer journey began in December 2022, when a biopsied mole led to a stage 2 melanoma diagnosis. She underwent surgery in early January 2023 to remove the growth, though her physician chose not to perform a lymph node dissection at that time. "That ended up being a huge mistake," she wrote in a May 2025 TikTok summarizing her ordeal.
Just weeks after her initial surgery, her diagnosis was upgraded to stage 2B, requiring a second operation to remove lymph nodes. She spent much of 2023 in hospital as her body struggled to recover from back-to-back surgeries, further complicated by pre-existing conditions.
Progression to Stage 4
By January 2024, Dyke had marked a full year with no evidence of disease. She spent several months travelling before receiving a stage 3 metastatic melanoma diagnosis towards the end of 2024. She commenced immunotherapy in February 2025 and completed five rounds of radiation in March. A GoFundMe page set up to help with medical expenses noted that by June 2025, the cancer had progressed to stage 4, spreading to her bones and organs. Her oncologist informed her she had "months" to live.
In an April 10 TikTok, Dyke responded to the prognosis with characteristic frankness. "I was very shocked to hear his answer. I thought I had more time than he's anticipating," she said. "I'm hoping for more than just months. Hoping and praying that the chemo can extend the life."
Final Days
Cinfio said she became seriously unwell on April 20, and the couple went to A&E the following morning. Over the next several days, doctors drained six litres of fluid from her abdomen. She was intubated that Saturday but briefly regained enough consciousness to recognise family members gathered at her bedside. "We were very lucky to be able to have that time with her, and she could hear us," Cinfio said. "You know, we had a little bit of hope that maybe she should be able to recover, and then Saturday night into Sunday morning, her vitals started spiking."
Doctors informed the family on Sunday that Dyke had developed sepsis. "They kind of told us she was critical, and it was only a matter of time at that point," Cinfio said.
Just days before her death, Dyke had met with her doctor to discuss clinical trial options. Cinfio said she left that appointment feeling hopeful. "She was so excited to start the process of seeing what it would take and if she was eligible, and start the screening process," he said.
