At 23, Sydney Towle was living a bright, full life—until she felt a lump after a run and heard the words: “likely carcinoma, multiple enhancing masses.” What followed was a diagnosis of Stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer typically found in people decades older.

Sydney began sharing her journey online as a way to stay connected and hopeful, quickly building a community of more than 4 million followers on TikTok. Through it all, Sydney continued to speak openly about what it meant to live with cancer: the physical toll, the mental battle, the relationships that changed, and the lessons she learned while confronting questions most people her age never expect to face. 

On August 5, we learned that Sydney had died from cancer at just 26 years old.

In this conversation, recorded during her cancer journey, Sydney spoke with remarkable openness about living in the face of uncertainty and what mattered most to her when time felt stolen. Her words, and the kindness, humor, vulnerability, and perspective she shared, carry even more weight now.

Sydney shared:
Receiving her rare cancer diagnosis alone in a parking lot.
How she knew it was cancer before she was diagnosed + her advice for others.
Why she chose to share her story on TikTok
Surviving a viral hate campaign of people on the internet accusing her of “faking cancer”
The mental battle of pretending to be “just a normal 25-year-old” while living with a rare  cancer
Dating while in chemo + redefining love 
The mantras that keep her going.
Why she no longer believes “everything happens for a reason” but still believes in kindness, empathy, and intuition.
Using humor and disassociation to cope with cancer treatment
Fertility preservation and cancer 
How friendships change +  who shows up when life gets hard
Finding hope when there is no finish line in sight
Life lessons at 25: what really matters when time feels stolen.

Honor Sydney Towle’s Memory By Donating to Her Family’s GoFundMe

Sydney’s Book Recommendation: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

At 23, Sydney Towle was living a bright, full life&mdash;until she felt a lump after a run and heard the words: &ldquo;likely carcinoma, multiple enhancing masses.&rdquo; What followed was a diagnosis of Stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and aggressive cancer typically found in people decades older.
Sydney began sharing her journey online as a way to stay connected and hopeful, quickly building a community of more than 4 million followers on TikTok. Through it all, Sydney continued to speak openly about what it meant to live with cancer: the physical toll, the mental battle, the relationships that changed, and the lessons she learned while confronting questions most people her age never expect to face.&nbsp;
On August 5, we learned that Sydney had died from cancer at just 26 years old.
In this conversation, recorded during her cancer journey, Sydney spoke with remarkable openness about living in the face of uncertainty and what mattered most to her when time felt stolen. Her words, and the kindness, humor, vulnerability, and perspective she shared, carry even more weight now.
Sydney shared:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Receiving her rare cancer diagnosis alone in a parking lot.</li>
<li aria-level="1">How she knew it was cancer before she was diagnosed + her advice for others.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why she chose to share her story on TikTok</li>
<li aria-level="1">Surviving a viral hate campaign of people on the internet accusing her of &ldquo;faking cancer&rdquo;</li>
<li aria-level="1">The mental battle of pretending to be &ldquo;just a normal 25-year-old&rdquo; while living with a rare&nbsp; cancer</li>
<li aria-level="1">Dating while in chemo + redefining love&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">The mantras that keep her going.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Why she no longer believes &ldquo;everything happens for a reason&rdquo; but still believes in kindness, empathy, and intuition.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Using humor and disassociation to cope with cancer treatment</li>
<li aria-level="1">Fertility preservation and cancer&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">How friendships change +&nbsp; who shows up when life gets hard</li>
<li aria-level="1">Finding hope when there is no finish line in sight</li>
<li aria-level="1">Life lessons at 25: what really matters when time feels stolen.</li>
</ul>
Honor Sydney Towle&rsquo;s Memory By Donating to Her Family&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/honor-sydney-towles-memory">GoFundMe</a>
Sydney&rsquo;s Book Recommendation: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

There are celebrity interviews, and there are life-changing conversations. On Question Everything, you get both. Journalist Danielle Robay has a rare gift: she makes people feel safe + seen enough to tell the truth. Every week, she draws out the stories the world's most fascinating people rarely get to tell– the heartbreaks, the risks, the controversies, the beliefs they had to unlearn to become who they are and every now and then, their thoughts on the Bravoverse. You'll come for their story. You'll leave rethinking your own.

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Danielle is also the creator of the bestselling QUESTION EVERYTHING card game series, which has sparked connection in thousands of living rooms around the world, and the co-executive producer and host of Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club, alongside Reese Witherspoon. Dubbed "The Queen of Questions," she brings both heart and rigor to every conversation — a background in political science, a Gloria Steinem Fellowship, and a mentorship under Larry King, whose legacy of curiosity and connection she's carried forward across more than 8,000 hours of interviews with icons from Taylor Swift to Malala Yousafzai.

There are celebrity interviews, and there are life-changing conversations. On Question Everything, you get both. Journalist Danielle Robay has a rare gift: she makes people feel safe + seen enough to tell the truth. Every week, she draws out the stories the world's most fascinating people rarely get to tell&ndash; the heartbreaks, the risks, the controversies, the beliefs they had to unlearn to become who they are and every now and then, their thoughts on the Bravoverse. You'll come for their story. You'll leave rethinking your own.
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Danielle is also the creator of the bestselling QUESTION EVERYTHING card game series, which has sparked connection in thousands of living rooms around the world, and the co-executive producer and host of&nbsp;Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club, alongside Reese Witherspoon. Dubbed "The Queen of Questions," she brings both heart and rigor to every conversation &mdash; a background in political science, a Gloria Steinem Fellowship, and a mentorship under Larry King, whose legacy of curiosity and connection she's carried forward across more than 8,000 hours of interviews with icons from Taylor Swift to Malala Yousafzai.

QUESTION EVERYTHING

Behind every headline is a person + a deeper story. Question Everything with journalist Danielle Robay cuts through social media buzz to uncover the voices, ideas, and cultural moments that shape how we see the world. Each week, she asks bold questions that challenge assumptions and reveal the nuance behind the narratives, inviting you to look closer at the world, and at yourself. Because there's always more to the story.
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Danielle is also the creator of the bestselling QUESTION EVERYTHING card game series, which has sparked connection and conversation in thousands of living rooms around the world. She's also the co-executive producer (alongside Reese Witherspoon) and host of Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. With her signature curiosity—dubbed "The Queen of Questions"—and a background in political science, Danielle brings both heart and rigor to every conversation. A Gloria Steinem Fellow and mentee of Larry King, she's carried forward a legacy of curiosity and connection, interviewing icons from Taylor Swift to Malala Yousafzai in more than 8,000 hours of elevated conversation.

Remembering Sydney Towle: Time, Hope, and What Really Matters

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/66d304a6-b024-4bed-994d-b4a40161d038/transcript