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For influencer Sidney Raz, life delivered the cruelest heartbreak—only to follow it with a miracle in disguise.
Seven months after losing his daughter at just 26 weeks due to a rare brain development condition, Raz underwent genetic testing to search for answers. What he found instead was a diagnosis that may have saved his own life: stomach cancer.
"It was literally just my daughter's DNA that saved my life," he said in an emotional TikTok video posted April 5. What started as a search for her medical answers became his wake-up call—one that came early enough to offer a fighting chance.
Through genetic testing, doctors discovered that Sidney carried the same deletion of the CTNNA1 gene as his daughter—a deletion linked to increased cancer risk. An endoscopy followed. Out of 36 biopsies taken, only one showed signs of cancer. But it was enough.
"I probably have to lose my stomach," he admitted. "But I would give more than one of my stomachs away to stay here."
His vulnerability hit a chord. Not just because he's an internet personality with a following, but because his pain and hope feel universally human. The very loss that shattered him may now grant him life.
In a follow-up, Raz confirmed that he will likely undergo full stomach removal surgery. It's a daunting path, but his spirit remains remarkably strong. "The cancer was caught early enough where taking out my stomach is the best course of action," he said. "If I hadn't caught it this early, I would be back in three years at stage 3 or 4."
His story is a haunting reminder of how interconnected grief and grace can be. What began as a devastating loss became a warning sign he couldn't ignore. Now, Sidney Raz is facing cancer head-on—not just for himself, but for the daughter who left too soon and still managed to save his life.
And that, he says, gives him all the reason in the world to fight.
