RIP, Claire Wineland: YouTube Star and Inspirational Speaker Dies After Lung Transplant at 21

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Famous YouTube star, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth, died Sunday night at the age of 21 just a week after lung transplant.

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RIP, Claire Wineland

On Sunday evening, after being taken off life support and using the newly transplanted lungs she received just one week earlier, Claire took her last breath. The cause of death was a massive stroke she suffered soon after the transplant surgery. She was 21.

Claire Wineland became famous and beloved influential for her honest speaking about illness and mortality on social media.

At a 2017 TEDx talk, Ms Wineland spoke about the importance of self-worth when living with a life-shortening illness.

“Life isn’t just about being happy… It’s about what you’re making of your life and whether you can find a deep pride in who you are and what you’ve given,” she said.

The way sick people are captured in media completely ruined any ounce of self confidence i had growing up. I learned to deeply hate having my picture taken by professionals because there was always a need to make me look childlike and innocent- lacking in anything sexual or appealing. I was convinced I looked like an ugly sickly five year old for the first two years of high school and that that was why guys never seemed to be interested in me in “that” way. It took having a fair amount of relationships and casual sex before I realized that I wasn’t the empty smiling shell of a girl I saw reflected back in pictures. It’s so much easier to believe that sick people are cherubs- held in perpetual youth and innocence- who simply don’t understand the truth of their condition because they are living up in the clouds. Seeing people who are sick as anything more complex and intelligent than that would mean we couldn’t use them as these false beacons of hope. I’ve struggled more with guys, depression drugs, family and career than I ever have with my illness. I’m not an innocent and I’m not a child. I’m not “dying before I have had a chance to live” and what I choose to talk about with the world is not just empty positive falsehoods. Sick people deserve to be seen as more than hollow shells just waiting for their lives to begin. As always thank you to @larissaperoux For taking he most bomb ass pictures of me that will ever be taken.

A post shared by Claire Wineland (@claire.wineland) on Mar 19, 2018 at 11:32am PDT

Ms Wineland was a supporter of radical Senator Bernie Sanders and she once fled hospital to attend one of his rallies.

The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate paid tribute to her in a post on Twitter.

I would like to acknowledge Claire Wineland who passed away last night. You are an inspiration and brought joy to many. You’ll be missed deeply. pic.twitter.com/BsTEFmquR7

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 4, 2018

It was announced Monday that Claire suffered a massive stroke on Aug 26 after the nine-hour transplant surgery. The inspirational star’s family made the decision to take her off life support.

“[Claire] was not in any pain and the medical staff said it was the most peaceful passing they had ever witnessed,” Wineland’s foundation, Claire’s Place, confirmed on Facebook Monday. “Her mother Melissa Yeager and father John Wineland saw her into this world for her first breath and were with her for her last.”

Source: Facebook

From posting photos of her treatments from the hospital to giving inspirational speeches, Wineland worked to help others with the same genetic disease. Even after her death, she helped to save other lives, as her right kidney was transplanted to a 44-year-old woman in San Diego, and her left kidney was transplanted to a 55-year-old male in Northern California.

Source: CNN

What is cystic fibrosis?

‘Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that causes persistent infections in the lungs and limits one’s ability to breathe over time.

A defective gene causes a thick, sticky buildup of mucus in the lungs, clogging airways and trapping bacteria that leads to infections, lung damage and eventually respiratory failure.

Mucus buildup also occurs in the pancreas, preventing the release of digestive enzymes that allow the body to break down food and absorb vital nutrients.

CF is typically diagnosed in infancy and has a life expectancy rate of 37 years old.

There are approximately 30,000 cases of CF in the US, with roughly 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

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