A mom-of-two who documented her breast cancer battle online has announced her own death by sharing an emotional goodbye message to her followers.
Sarah Mandel, a psychologist and author from New York City, passed away on June 1, weeks before her 43rd birthday, after a grueling seven-year battle with the disease.
Just before she died, Sarah decided to upload a video to her Instagram and TikTok accounts letting her supporters know that she had moved on.
‘If you’re reading these words right now, then I have died,’ the emotional post began, which has been viewed nearly two million times. ‘I wrote this message the week I was told I had weeks to months to live.’
Throughout the almost two-minute long video, Sarah reflected on life and death as she shared a montage of clips that showed her partaking in various activities with her husband, Derek Rodenhausen, and their two daughters, Sophie and Siena.
Sarah explained that she never thought she would want to ‘announce her death on social media,’ but that she decided to because the ‘support’ she had received online ‘helped her face her toughest days.’
‘Life is unpredictable and full of surprises,’ she continued. ‘The support I found on this platform helped me face the toughest days of this cancer ordeal.
‘It’s no joke, we need people to help us. My heart felt like it grew exponentially from the care I received from old friends, new friends, and strangers.
‘Thank you for holding my hand throughout this one example of a challenging life story. We all have our versions. We all need our hands held sometimes.’
The New Yorker admitted that she was ‘heartbroken’ that she was ‘leaving this life,’ especially because of her ‘girls and beloved’ husband.
‘I am heartbroken that I am leaving this life well before my plans. Most of all because of my girls and my beloved Derek,’ she said.
‘I’ll write it here, and if I could, I’d write it everywhere – Sophie and Siena, I love you and I am so proud of you. I may be somewhere beyond our concepts of infinity 1718910308, that’s how much I love you.’
While chatting with People magazine about it, Derek said he had no idea that Sarah was planning to post the video and that he only discovered it after opening up Instagram to see if anyone had posted about her passing.
‘I was completely shocked. She didn’t tell anybody about that,’ he shared.
Sarah’s family wrote on social media that she ‘died peacefully in her sleep’ and was ‘thankfully very calm and comfortable in her final days.’
‘As throughout her life, she spent her final night surrounded by love,’ they added. ‘She was cuddled up with her girls, Siena and Sophie, just hours before she died.
‘From end to end, Sarah’s life was a work of art – a masterpiece – and her beauty, warmth, and kindness will live on in our memories, especially in our hearts, and also through her paintings, songs, and writing.
‘She brought joy, a sparkle, and a love of life, to every day and lived life with endless passion and hope.
‘Thank you for the love and support you all have provided. I know she felt it all, and loved you all very deeply.’
Sarah was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in 2017, at age 36, while she was pregnant with her second daughter.
Her husband told People that she found a lump on her breast, and at first she thought it was just a clogged milk duct.
But they soon discovered that it was cancer, and after giving birth, she started chemotherapy and radiation.
Thankfully, he said she then went on a drug called Herceptin, which helped immensely.
‘She went back to having no evidence of disease, which was miraculous,’ Derek added. ‘Then we had a couple good years where she was in pretty good health again.’
But by 2021, her symptoms came back and an MRI showed that the cancer had spread to her brain.
She then endured ‘multiple different types of medical therapy and radiation therapy’ – but her health started to deteriorate in recent weeks.
While battling the disease, Sarah, who worked as a therapist for years before closing her practice in 2021, started writing and went on to release a memoir, called Little Earthquakes, in 2023.
She also began documenting some of the harsh realities of having the disease on social media, sharing videos of herself getting her medication in the hospital and discussing the symptoms in detail.
Her husband said the ‘beautiful’ response to her openness online has helped the family heal immensely.
‘I just loved her incredibly over those 22 years, and we had a wonderful family,’ he concluded.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
