Featured Image Credit: Rebecca Luna / GoFundMe
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide, which some readers may find distressing.
While TikTok is sometimes a platform for spreading joy, whether it be through positive messages of affirmation or simple videos that make us laugh, there's also the occasional tragedy. This has been highlighted by the passing of 49-year-old Rebecca Luna, who opted to end her life after posting a heartbreaking final message about her battle with Alzheimer's.
Although scientists continue to break new ground in terms of Alzheimer's research, some seven million Americans are thought to be currently suffering from the disease.
In 2026 alone, it's expected that 500,000 Americans will be diagnosed with clinical Alzheimer's dementia.
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While one in nine people aged over 65 has Alzheimer's, the majority (74%) are aged 75 or older.
Rebecca Luna's story reminds us that people much younger can be diagnosed, with the Alzheimer's Association reporting that out of the 7.6 million Americans who have the disease, 200,000 of them have younger-onset dementia.
The New York Post says Luna was a single mom from British Columbia, diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s in 2025.
On a GoFundMe page in honor of Luna, her eldest daughter confirmed she died "peacefully.. surrounded by loved ones," choosing to end her life via assisted dying.
In her final video on TikTok, Luna discussed how her date had moved, and while it was a hard decision to make, it was ultimately hers.
Luna told her followers: "I’m living in a body that doesn’t feel comfortable, safe, good, nothing. It feels terrible. And so the idea of waiting two weeks felt like too much."
Explaining how she'd be spending her final days with family and close friends, Luna reiterated: "It’s been a hard 24 hours obviously. This is not what I wanted. I would have never chosen young onset Alzheimer’s for myself."
Saying how the disease has taken so much from her, Luna managed to joke that it hadn't robbed her of her good looks.
She continued: "What I want is relief, what I want is a lack of suffering, and the people that love and care about me support me, and that's what matters."
A candid Luna admitted that she never wanted this and doesn't want to die before the age of 50, but sadly, this is the hand she was dealt.
Saying she's had a good life but a traumatic one, she added: "I've already gone though enough suffering, let's just be honest, I've suffered enough in this world, but at the same time, the suffering has brought me to this place of, 'I really know who I am', and I really know that I have a good f**king heart.
"I am so loyal, I will fight for you until the end of time. I love hard, I love so f**king hard."
Highlighting previous neglect and her battle with addiction, Luna mused: "To be as sober as long as I have and then to get through this disease without even picking up a drink or drug is amazing. Most people can’t do that."It’s because I’ve worked my ass off. I didn’t just sit back and go to a meeting and hope that I’d get better. I have been kicking ass.”
Referring to the five-year-old version of herself that nobody stuck up for, Luna concluded: "Nobody stood up for her, so I'm standing up for her, so that's why I'm saying you don't want to f**k with me now, because the girl that had nobody sticking up for her before, has me.
"And I hope if I leave this planet, that's the only thing I teach, and that's the only thing that somebody gets something out of, is that you just need to act your way into loving yourself. If I can do it, you can do it too."
Canada passed its Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) law in 2016, although it was initially only for those with a terminal illness or who were facing imminent death. Luna had been given anywhere between five and seven years to live, but as the law was expanded to include those who aren't expected to die in the "reasonably foreseeable," she qualified for assisted dying.
At the time of writing, a fundraiser in Luna's honor has raised $11,179 CAD, with her daughter thanking people for their support and privacy at this trying time.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in a mental health crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
