A woman who died at age 28 after publicly sharing her battle with cancer on social media is being remembered for being a fierce advocate, especially for young people with cancer.
Natasha Allen, who died on Aug. 22 after a five-year battle with synovial sarcoma, a type of cancer, was honored Monday night at the Sarcoma Foundation of America’s annual gala in New York City.
At the gala, the foundation announced a mentorship program for young cancer patients that Allen helped develop will launch this fall.
“Natasha was disarmingly funny, thoughtful compassionate, intelligent and wise beyond her years,” Natasha Nathan, the foundation’s program manager for engagement and advocacy, said in remarks at the gala, adding of Allen, “Her advocacy helped shape how we support individuals especially young adults facing this diagnosis.”
Sabina Ghebremedhin – PHOTO: Natasha Nathan delivers remarks honoring Natasha Allen at the Sarcoma Foundation of America annual gala in New York City on Sept. 15, 2025.
Allen was first diagnosed with synovial sarcoma cancer — a rare and aggressive cancer — in 2020.
She told ABC News in an interview last year that she drove herself to the doctor’s office the morning of her diagnosis, expecting normal results from a post-knee-surgery biopsy.
Instead, the then-23-year-old was told she had a tumor.
“When you hear cancer, you think death right away, even if you don’t want to,” Allen told ABC News in June 2024. “And I just kept on thinking I am 23. I’m 23, like this is not supposed to happen to me.'”
Synovial sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that is often found in the arm, leg, or foot, and near joints such as the wrist or ankle and usually affects adolescents and young adults below age 40, though it can occur at any age, according to the National Institute of Health’s National Cancer Institute.
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After receiving her diagnosis, Allen, whose mother is an ABC News producer, took to social media to share her story, in hopes, she said, of finding community.
At the time of her death, her TikTok page, @possiblynatasha, dedicated to sharing her cancer journey, had over 196,000 followers and more than 25 million likes.
Allen’s presence on social media came at a time when more and more young people were being diagnosed with cancer, and more were turning to social media to connect.
Cancer rates in adolescents and young adults are on the rise in the United States. According to the National Cancer Institute, over 84,000 people ages 15-39 will be diagnosed with cancer in the nation in 2024, making up 4.2% of all new cancer diagnoses.
ABC News – PHOTO: Natasha Allen at the 2024 GLAAD Awards wearing her portable oxygen tank.
In addition to sharing her cancer experience on social media, Allen also spoke out in interviews, including being the first-ever guest on the Sarcoma Foundation of America’s Sarcoma Stories podcast.
Nathan said in her remarks about Allen that she will be remembered for not only helping bring cancer patients together, but also for advocating for research for better treatments and a cure for cancer.
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“In one of her final TikToks, Natasha lip-synced a line from ‘Hamilton.’ It says, ‘I am willing to wait for it,'” Nathan recalled. “From her hospital bed, she expressed a fierce hope, relating the lyrics, how she was willing to endure more chemo, more horrible side effects, more treatments if it meant buying time for the next breakthrough to give her a shot of the lives she observed her healthy peers living.”
Nathan continued, “It was also a warning that sarcoma patients don’t have time to wait and a call to action for us to do something about it. Without advancements in research, we cannot improve outcomes and without funding we cannot do either.”
If you have cancer-related questions – free, confidential services are available to provide personalized responses on a range of cancer topics, including prevention, treatment, clinical trials and more. Call the National Cancer Institute’s hotline at 1-800-422-6237 weekdays 9 am-9 pm or visit cancer.gov/contact
