Breast Cancer Patients Gain Online Followings and Income During Active Treatment, See Declines After Recovery Begins

Sarah Barness posted her first TikTok in 2023 alongside her sister Sophie, announcing both had been diagnosed with breast cancer three months earlier. Barness, then 35, had received a stage 1 diagnosis in March 2023. Her employer, a startup, shut down the same week, leaving her without a job.

A friend created a GoFundMe titled "Sarah has Cancer" that made the diagnosis public, and another friend signed her up for Patreon to post updates and raise funds. Barness published her first Patreon video on July 2023, six days after beginning chemotherapy. ," described physical changes including pimples on her face and body.

She continued posting daily about surgery, hair loss, fertility preservation, medically-induced menopause, and other treatment effects. At the height of active treatment, which included surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, Patreon brought in nearly $1,000 a month. A separate GoFundMe raised about $56,000 for two rounds of egg retrievals before chemotherapy.

Barness rang the bell marking the end of active treatment later in 2023. Three days after ending active treatment, she wrote on Patreon that she would need to remain vocal about breast cancer at 35 because "my struggle (and so many others my age) starts to become invisible" as hair grew back and surgical sites healed. A few months later she lost about half her subscribers.

Justine Morris, a 32-year-old breast cancer survivor with more than 73,000 Instagram followers, said her following grew when she shared treatment details and that video views nearly doubled when she appeared to be crying or visibly struggling. She gained about 11,500 followers in the first two months after diagnosis.

Trish Michelle, diagnosed at 35, documented her journey for 7,000 Instagram followers.