Dominique McShain cause of death – TikTok star dead at 21

TikTok star Dominique McShain has passed away at the young age of 21 after a year-long battle with colon cancer. Her death was confirmed by PEOPLE on Wednesday, though the exact date of her passing has not been shared publicly.

Dominique was from New Zealand and had become popular on TikTok for spreading awareness about colon cancer. She was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer in April 2024. Over the past year, she shared her emotional journey with her followers, gaining over 200,000 fans on social media.

On April 6, 2025, Dominique made a heartbreaking final post on Instagram. She said her doctors had given her only a few days to a few weeks to live. She explained that her liver was failing fast, and her cancer had spread too much for treatment to continue. Her chemotherapy had stopped working, and she had entered end-of-life care. Dominique said she was now focused on managing pain and spending time in hospice or hospital care.

She told her followers, “This will be my final update on my cancer journey until I have passed away.” Dominique shared how she had accepted her situation and was no longer overwhelmed by grief. “I’ve found a sense of peace,” she wrote.

Despite her short life, Dominique said she felt thankful. “I genuinely feel like I squeezed every bit out of it,” she posted. She spoke lovingly about her family and friends, calling them her biggest support system. She also gave a special mention to her husband, Sean Suson. The couple got engaged on her 21st birthday in May 2024 and were married that July.

Dominique said Sean had been her rock, standing by her side before and after her cancer diagnosis. She added that she was lucky to have people around her who loved her deeply and were ready to do anything to help.

In her Instagram message, Dominique opened up about imagining a peaceful place after death. She described Heaven as a place where she would no longer feel pain, where she could breathe easily, and feel whole again. “Though it will hurt to leave you all behind, please know that I will finally be out of pain, and I will be at peace,” she wrote.

Dominique first shared her story on TikTok in May 2024. In her first video, she talked about how cancer ended her college journey. She had been a third-year psychology student and wanted to become a clinical psychologist. But her diagnosis changed everything. “Basically, I stopped work and uni because I have such severe cancer, and the treatment is so intense,” she said in the video, which was viewed over 5.5 million times.

She used her platform to talk about colon cancer symptoms in young people. Dominique said her goal was to raise awareness and help others catch signs early. “I wanted to make a difference somehow and leave something behind,” she said.

Colon cancer is becoming more common in younger people. According to the National Library of Medicine, over 1.9 million new colon cancer cases were reported worldwide in 2020. That same year, more than 930,000 people died from the disease. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, and many in Europe have the highest rates.

In the United States, the American Cancer Society expects over 107,000 new cases of colon cancer in 2025. Of those, more than 54,000 will be men and around 52,000 will be women. Between 2012 and 2021, colon cancer rates among people under 50 have been rising by 2.4% every year.

Dominique McShain’s story touched many hearts. Her bravery, honesty, and desire to help others will be remembered. Though her time was short, she made a big impact.