Jessica Pettway, a popular figure in the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle on YouTube, passed away on March 11t. Pettway began her YouTube journey in November 2013, over a decade ago. She shared beauty tutorials and glimpses of her personal life on her channel with her nearly 230,000 subscribers.
Her battle with stage three cervical cancer ended tragically, nearly nine months after she bravely disclosed her diagnosis to her followers. “It brings me so much joy to see how far I’ve come because a few months ago, I received devastating news,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. I don’t know where to begin, but I want to share why I’ve been gone for so long, hoping that at least one person is encouraged by my story.”
Pettway revealed that in June 2022, she started experiencing severe vaginal bleeding and overwhelming fatigue. She initially dismissed these symptoms as “normal” that women usually endured. However, the situation turned severe the following month when her husband discovered her unconscious and not breathing in their bathroom.
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Pettway was rushed to the hospital, where she was informed that her severe blood loss was attributed to fibroids. Despite passing alarming clots and being kept overnight, a gynecologist assured her that her symptoms were typical and discharged her the next day.
After experiencing a recurrence of bleeding in October 2022, Pettway underwent surgery to remove the presumed fibroid. She underwent ten blood transfusions. It wasn’t until February 8, during an outpatient biopsy, that doctors discovered her cancer. The doctors became concerned when they found Pettway’s cervix obscured by the mass.
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Due to this discovery, they had to investigate further. It wasn’t until February 2023 that she discovered that her condition was far more severe as the tumors were malignant. An oncologist performed an outpatient biopsy, revealing the devastating truth: she was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer. “It turns out it was not a fibroid, but cancer,” she wrote. “I was misdiagnosed all this time.”
According to Pettway, the most challenging aspect was not the diagnosis itself. “Being told I have cancer didn’t devastate me,” she wrote. “It was the reaction of those close to me. I knew that God was my healer and that no weapon formed against me, not even cancer, would prosper. I knew I was more than a conqueror and would get through this.”
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Sadly, despite undergoing treatment, the lifestyle blogger succumbed to her illness, as confirmed by her sister Reyni Brown. She left behind two children.
“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, as reported by E! Online. “I lost my beautiful big sister 2 days ago, and my heart has never felt pain like this.”
When describing her sister, Reyni wrote that Pettway was the “most amazing, strong, confident” woman she had ever met. She also said that her life was filled with “wisdom” because of Pettway.
“Life will never be the same without her crazy laugh, pranks, or jokes. Losing a sibling feels like a connection between us was destroyed. I love you with all my heart,” she added.
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