The world of beauty and social media has been shattered by the devastating news of Jessica Pettway’s passing.
Known for her vibrant personality and beauty tutorials that captivated over 16 million viewers on YouTube, Jessica’s journey took a heartbreaking turn when she was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer. The misdiagnosis that initially labeled her condition as fibroids, a common uterine growth, led to a delayed and ultimately fatal realization of the true nature of her illness. Despite her courageous battle and unwavering spirit, Jessica’s life was tragically cut short. The married mom of two sadly died on Wednesday last week, her sister Reyni confirmed in a now-private Instagram post shared by E! Online.
“It’s my birthday today, and the only thing I could ever wish for is for God to bring you back on this earth,” Reyni wrote Friday with a photo of her and Jessica. “I lost my beautiful big sister 2 days ago and my heart has never felt pain like this.”
Jessica leaves behind her husband of 12 years, Michael, and their daughters, Kailee, 10, and Zoi Lee, 3.
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More On Jessica Pettway’s Battle:
Pettway’s death comes just nearly nine months after the beauty star first revealed her cancer diagnosis in an Instagram post to her Instagram followers. She said at the time back in July:
“I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. I don’t even know where to begin, but I want to share why I’ve been gone for so long, in hopes that at least one person is encouraged by my story.”
What Were Her Symptoms?
Pettway explained that she started experiencing “intense vaginal bleeding” in June 2022. From there, she spoke to other women about her symptoms and was led to believe that what was happening to her was simply “normal.” However, when she went to the hospital after passing out in the bathroom of her home due to extreme blood loss, Pettway said doctors diagnosed her with “fibroids.”
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus. They are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue and can vary in size. While many women with fibroids do not experience any symptoms, others may have heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, frequent urination, or reproductive issues. Treatment options for fibroids depend on the symptoms and may include medications, non-invasive procedures, or surgery.
Thinking it wasn’t much to worry about, the bleeding persisted and led to another hospitalization. Pettway noted that “medical professionals treated it like it was not that alarming since it was just a ‘fibroid.’”
Although the heavy bleeding eventually stopped,
another trip to the hospital followed in early January 2023 after the bleeding came back. She noted that “it would not stop.” Pettway had to spend a week in the hospital and underwent 10 blood transfusions. She also shared that doctors recommended that she make an appointment with an oncologist and undergo a biopsy.
“On Feb. 8th, 2023, he performed an outpatient biopsy on me,” Pettway explained. “When I woke up from the anesthesia, he casually said, ‘Yep you have stage 3 cervical cancer.’ It turns out, it was not a fibroid, but cancer. I was misdiagnosed all this time. I remember hearing that and immediately saying to myself, ‘I refuse to make an agreement with that diagnosis.’ And so I didn’t. Being told I have cancer didn’t devastate me. It was the reaction of those close to me,” she added.
As a mother to two young daughters and a devoted wife, Jessica faced the harsh realities of her diagnosis with grace and determination. In another heartbreaking August 2023 post, she said,
“The girls are too young to understand, yet they noticed the changes. They would often ask, ‘When is mommy coming home?’ Or ‘How come mommy keeps going in the ambulance truck?’” Pettway wrote, “Being wheeled into the ambulance and waving bye to my kids, only to see them crying for their mommy to stay home, broke me. And watching my husband break down in tears, was rough,” she continued. She continued to explain that she and her family “moved forward and did our best not to allow current circumstances to overtake us. It was definitely not easy, but we made it this far!”
Jessica Pettway was just 36 years old. She will be greatly missed.