A 10-year-old girl from Swift Current, Sask., who attracted millions of followers while sharing her health story online has died.
Bella Thomson, who went by Bella Brave on social media, was born with several rare health conditions.
Her mother, Kyla Thomson, confirmed to CBC Saskatchewan that Bella died on Sunday after being placed in a medically-induced coma.
She was being treated at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, also known as SickKids.
“Bella passed peacefully in our arms,” wrote Thomson in an Instagram post. “Please keep her name on your lips, her memories alive and her bravery in your hearts.”
Bella Thomson was born with three rare conditions: dwarfism, severe combined immunodeficiency and Hirschsprung’s disease, which affects the bowel.
In 2023, Bella Thomson underwent a bowel transplant after spending years waiting for an organ donation.
According to her mother, she spent more than 1,000 nights in hospital over the course of her life.
She became well-known on TikTok in 2021, as the mother-daughter team shared updates while keeping their spirits up through repeated hospitalizations, procedures and surgeries.
WATCH | After spending three years on the transplant list, Bella Brave received her bowel transplant. It’s a journey that millions of people followed online.
Their account now has more than seven million followers.
In 2021, Bella received a gift of art supplies from the singer Halsey, who had watched her journey online. She then went on to meet Halsey in California this year.
In 2023, she also met Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, who visited her in hospital.
That same year, after her bowel surgery, she was asked about her advice for other kids who, like her, found themselves waiting for a transplant.
“Be very careful. Have lots of fun. And stay brave,” she said.
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