On Friday, the news of the untimely death of TikTok celebrity Jehane Thomas, aged 30, shocked many. Thomas had been suffering from extreme migraines for several months.
Thomas shared on Instagram that she had been diagnosed with optic neuritis. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, this disorder causes the eye’s optic nerve to swell.
In a post on March 5, she wrote about the debilitating effects of her condition, explaining that she was often completely wiped out due to the pressure in her head. She also expressed immense gratitude to her parents for always being there to help her with her two sons, Isaac (3) and Elijah (1).
Thomas was well-known on TikTok, with 67,000 followers, and frequently documented her hospital visits on her social media accounts. Her last video, uploaded on Wednesday, showed her in a hospital bed, unable to move due to her pain.
A friend of Thomas, Alyx Reast, created a GoFundMe to raise money for her funeral and two children. By Monday, the fundraiser had exceeded its goal of $12,255, raising $13,456.
Thomas’ followers were deeply affected by the news of her death, with many taking to social media to express their sadness. Words of tribute and condolence filled social media feeds, with one user saying, “I don’t know Jehane personally, but I have just balled my eyes out,” and another saying, “I have been crying for an hour over someone I never met, but Jehane your life helped me so much.”