Jessica Pettway, a longtime beauty and fashion YouTuber, died from stage 3 cervical cancer at the age of 36, according to E! News. Pettway’s sister, Reyni Brown, revealed the social media influencer passed away on March 11 in an Instagram post.
“It’s my birthday today, and the only thing I could ever wish for is for God to bring you back on this earth,” Brown wrote on March 15, according to reporters. “I lost my beautiful big sister 2 days ago and my heart has never felt pain like this.”
The sister continued, “Life will never be the same without her crazy laugh, pranks, or jokes. Loosing [sic] a sibling feels like a connection between us was destroyed. I love you with all my heart.”
Pettway shared her struggles with cervical cancer in July 2023 after she found out she was misdiagnosed with fibroids in 2022. Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow on the uterus, according to the CDC. She was correctly diagnosed in February 2023.
“I want to share why I’ve been gone for so long, in hopes that at least one person is encouraged by my story,” the mother wrote on Instagram. “Being told I have cancer didn’t devastate me. It was the reaction of those close to me. I knew that God is my healer and that no weapon formed against me, not even cancer, would prosper. I knew that I am more than a conqueror and that I will get through this.”
Pettway started her YouTube journey over 10 years ago and is considered one of the OG beauty YouTubers. Her makeup, fashion, and lifestyle videos led to over 370,000 followers across various social media platforms.
She leaves behind her husband, Michael, and two daughters: 10-year-old Kailee and 3-year-old Zoi Lee.
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