The Incredible Story Of A Woman's Final Months Fighting Brain Cancer As Told Through Her Tweets
Sometimes your dumb day-to-day tweets can add up in a really beautiful picture. Update: Many have called into question whether or not Amanda is real, though no answers about her existence have emerged.
According to her Twitter account, Amanda passed away in April. Shannon McKarney, a digital consultant from Toronto, discovered the account and decided to put together this video.
View this video on YouTube
McKarney said Amanda's story stuck with her for months. She was fascinated by how Amanda left behind a Twitter account that was much more than just a Twitter account, but a reflection of her.
I just resigned from my #goc job. No point when I have 3mths to live, right? I wonder if I'll get my pension money.
Amanda@TrappedAtMyDeskFollow
I just resigned from my #goc job. No point when I have 3mths to live, right? I wonder if I'll get my pension money.
10:19 AM - 21 Jan 13ReplyRetweetFavorite
. i left my iPhone on the kitchen table before I went to Cuba + Central America for two months. The people were spectacular
. i left my iPhone on the kitchen table before I went to Cuba + Central America for two months. The people were spectacular
12:43 PM - 25 Mar 13ReplyRetweetFavorite
"I admired the way she had taken on this challenge she faced, she was diagnosed with this terminal illness and she said 'OK, I'm going to run with it,'" Shannon told BuzzFeed. "So she left her phone on the table and she had adventures."
Tonight I have to get up the nerve to call my mom who hasnt spoken to me in 5 years
Tonight I have to get up the nerve to call my mom who hasnt spoken to me in 5 years
02:17 PM - 25 Mar 13ReplyRetweetFavorite
Don't spend time being angry at people. Forgive them. Life is entirely too short.
Don't spend time being angry at people. Forgive them. Life is entirely too short.
05:16 PM - 10 Apr 13ReplyRetweetFavorite
Shannon said she was nervous about how people would react to her video, but people were genuinely touched by it. She's currently trying to find more information on Amanda and has asked people who knew her to send details.
Tomorrow, I go back into the hospital for the last time. Thank you all for the good vibes. Be good to each other. #quietlastnight
Tomorrow, I go back into the hospital for the last time. Thank you all for the good vibes. Be good to each other. #quietlastnight
05:37 PM - 10 Apr 13ReplyRetweetFavorite
My dear little sister Amanda passed away from brain cancer late last night. -James
My dear little sister Amanda passed away from brain cancer late last night. -James
12:50 PM - 15 Apr 13ReplyRetweetFavorite
(h/t Jezebel)
UPDATE: Jennifer Mendelsohn has written a very extensive Medium post calling into question many of the—and inconsistencies—around Amanda's Twitter account:
It is remotely possible—and heartbreaking—that Amanda did live and die of a brain tumor exactly as documented on Twitter and memorialized in the video, which is precisely why the story seems to have evoked such a visceral and empathetic response. But it seems more plausible that Amanda's cancer story was invented or embellished, just like so many before it. It's hard to know how much of the pre-cancer feed is a reflection of the real life of whoever was tweeting unless that person reveals himself or herself. As the New Yorker cartoon says, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog."