Canadian influencer Rebecca Luna, 49, ends life with medical assistance following Alzheimer's diagnosis
Warning: This article contains discussion of assisted dying, which some readers may find distressing.
A TikTok star has ended their own life via assisted dying after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's in her 40s.
Rebecca Luna, a lifestyle influencer from Canada who went by the username @wheredidrebeccago, previously shared her plan to die with her 90,000+ social media followers, claiming back in her final video that she no longer felt safe in her own body.
The British Columbia local has garnered a considerable online following since she raised her health concerns with her doctor last year, after which she was informed she'd developed young-onset Alzheimer's and given a five- to seven-year life expectancy.
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The diagnosis describes a rare form of the progressive brain disorder that affects people under the age of 65, often appearing in a person's 40s or 50s.
Since then, mother-of-two Luna has documented her health woes online, filling her fans in whenever she reached an especially heartbreaking obstacle.
She also told her followers she planned to pass away via medical assistance in dying (MAID), a form of assisted suicide legalised in Canada in 2016.
The 49-year-old's daughter, Maya, confirmed on Monday (27 Jul) that Luna had passed away two days earlier, 'peacefully - surrounded by loved ones'.
Last week, Luna, a single mum, told her TikTok followers that her death date had been moved forward from August due to the rapid decline in her health.
In her last video, she said: "Prior to the dates changing for the last year and a half has been legally and medically not my choice. But for the last two weeks I’ve been making the decision.
"And it’s a hard decision to make, because I’m living in a body that doesn’t feel comfortable, safe, good, nothing."
The online star added: "It feels terrible. And so the idea of waiting two weeks felt like too much."
Luna also explained she would no longer be uploading content, and planned to spend her final days with her friends and family.
"It’s been a hard 24 hours obviously," she added in her emotional final statement. "This is not what I wanted.
"I would have never chosen young onset Alzheimer’s for myself. It’s just taken so much from me except for my good looks."
The TikToker went on to claim that, while she doesn't want 'to be dying before I'm 50', she'd lived a 'good life'.
"I’ve had a really traumatic life. I’ve already gone through enough suffering. I’ve suffered enough in this world," she said. "But at the same time, the suffering has brought me to this place of ‘I really know who I am and I really know that I have a good f*****g heart'.
"I’m so loyal. I will fight for you till the end of time."
She also used her final message to reflect on her abusive upbringing and her subsequent addiction battles, noting: "That’s a lot for anyone to go through, right?"
Luna continued: "To be as sober as long as I have and then to get through this disease without even picking up a drink or drug is amazing. Most people can’t do that. It’s because I’ve worked my ass off.
"I didn’t just sit back and go to a meeting and hope that I’d get better. I have been kicking ass."
If you've been affected by dementia or Alzheimer's and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact the Alzheimer’s Society via 0333 150 3456 or visit their website for more information.
Rhianna Benson