In a tear-stained announcement on September 23, the family of influencer Zuza Beine revealed that she passed away the previous morning, at age 14, after an 11-year fight with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Diagnosed around age 3½, Zuza had endured five relapses and three bone marrow transplants.
Through her social media channels — 1.8 million followers on Instagram and roughly 1.7 million on TikTok — Zuza shared not only the hardship of treatment and pain, but also the small, sparkling moments of joy: meals shared with family, creative hairstyles, and laughter despite the dread of regular hospital stays.
In her final video, posted September 20, she opened up with a message of gratitude: “Be grateful for the little things.” She named things many take for granted — the flavor of food, the ability to style her hair, relationships with loved ones. That video moved millions, a quiet testament to her resilience.
Her family’s announcement, shared via Instagram, reflected both sorrow and profound admiration:
> “She lived 11 of her 14 years with a relentless cancer, yet lived more fully and gratefully than most. Her being changed us forever, and her dying will too.”
Despite aggressive treatment and recurring illness, Zuza never hid the darkest hours. She spoke openly about the pain, the way chemo altered how food tasted, the weight of losing her hair. Days before she died, she admitted in updates to her followers that her body hurt unbearably. In one post, she said: “I’ve been in so much pain lately… I’m constantly on pain medicine because my body hurts so, so, so bad.”
She was a member of Glow House, a content collective of young creators, and her voice carried weight beyond her own story. Zuza did not just document her life — she invited her audience into it. She offered bravery without gloss, authenticity without apology.
In lieu of flowers, her family asked that donations be made to her recently deceased uncle’s wife and children — a final act of kindness from someone who always made others central in her story. The world has lost a brave young soul, but the radiance she shared will long outlive her pain.