Sidney Raz, known for his viral “Life Hacks” videos that have earned him 4.5 million followers on TikTok, has revealed he has early-stage stomach cancer—which was only caught because doctors investigated the stillbirth of his daughter. In March, the 36-year-old shared that his daughter had tragically passed at 26 weeks due to a rare brain condition. That awful news led Raz and his wife to undergo genetic testing. They discovered a cancer-linked mutation in the CTNNA1 gene—the same one found in his daughter. Though he was entirely symptom-free, Raz underwent an endoscopy and doctors discovered the cancer early enough to intervene. “It was literally just my daughter’s DNA that saved my life,” he said in a video posted to Instagram. He’s now scheduled to have his stomach removed in July. Surgeons will reroute his digestive system by connecting his esophagus directly to his intestines. Stomach cancer is often diagnosed late because early symptoms can be vague or nonexistent. The American Cancer Society predicts that more than 30,000 cases will be diagnosed in 2025, with nearly 11,000 deaths. Raz is urging others to consider genetic testing, specifically for the CTNNA1 and CDH1 mutations, which are known to raise the risk of the illness.
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