Tanner Martin, who has documented his battle with colorectal cancer since his diagnosis in 2020, delivered a final message in an Instagram post on Wednesday. "Hey, it's me, Tanner, if you're watching this, I am dead," he said. "I had a heck of a life. I decided to make this video announcing my death because I saw someone did that, like, a year or so ago, and I think it's a good opportunity to get all your thoughts out to get all your thoughts out and also you can be thoughtful about what your spouse or your partner may need." Martin, 30, died just 41 days after he welcomed his first child with his wife, Shay Wright, People reports.
Martin thanked his fans for making "the last few years of my life fun and enjoyable and helping me be comfortable," E! Online reports. "You guys, life was awesome. I really enjoyed it while I was here," he said. "Hopefully I believe there's something after this and I'm excited to meet those people and hopefully we're hanging out now making fun of all you nerds." In a separate video, he asked fans to contribute to a GoFundMe for his wife and their baby daughter, AmyLou. Shay Martin said donations had been so generous that some of the funds would be put toward Rebels Against Cancer, the nonprofit the couple founded to support other young adults diagnosed with cancer.
"I don't know, I'm like, death is scary, but it's also like a new adventure, you know," Martin said in his video. "I'm excited to see what the experience is like, and hopefully it's good." Martin's health took a turn for the worse earlier this year, leaving the Provo, Utah couple facing the "unbearable duality" of preparing for their daughter's birth and his death, the Washington Post reported earlier this month. The Post noted that there's been a steep rise in cancer among young adults, with young people of Native American descent, like Martin, having the highest rates of colorectal cancer and the highest rate of increase.
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