Spanish social media influencer, Elena Huelva, died on Tuesday after losing her years-long battle with cancer. She was 20 years of age.
Shortly before Huelva died, she bade farewell to her nearly one million Instagram followers, saying her condition had worsened.
Huelva, from Seville, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, known as Ewing sarcoma, in 2016. The disease mostly affects young people.
Huelva has been documenting her heartbreaking journey on Instagram, inspiring many of her followers with her courage and ability to remain positive amid terminal illness.
In a video she shared from her hospital bed, she told viewers that “things are not going well,” in Spanish, then reported in English by the Daily Mail.
“They found more disease in my windpipe, which is very dangerous, as you know, because that’s where we breathe,” she said, holding back the tears.
“I don’t need to say much more. I want to make it clear that I’ve already won,” adding that her life has not been in vain.
In the video, which amassed 970,000 likes and 90,000 comments, she also spoke about wanting to make cancer a more visible issue.
Celebrities Show Support
Spanish celebrities, including TV presenter Sara Carbonero, singer Manuel Carrasco, and actress Ana Obregón whose son died of the same condition, were among those showing their support.
Her condition worsened throughout December, but she was allowed to spend Christmas at home with her family.
Huelva posted a final message on Sunday—a picture of her holding hands with loved ones with a message she wrote: “Today I woke up not in the best way, in fact, nothing good, a big scare.”
She added: ‘These are very difficult days, they are becoming more and more complicated, but as you know I am stronger, and more complicated! I want you to know that I already won, a long time ago. We continue, always.”
She ended her post with her catchphrase, ‘My desires win’, which was also the title of a book she wrote that was published in 2022.
A family member posted an update on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, showing a photo of Elena with a caption beneath that read: “Since this morning, Elena dances and looks down at you from her star. Thank you for everything.”
