Over 7 million followers followed Bella Brave’s health journey on TikTok. Bella, a 10-year-old TikTok star, sadly passed away on July 14, as announced by her family.
Born Isabella Thomson, Bella had built a huge following on the app. Her mother, Kyla Thomson, confirmed Bella’s death on social media on July 15. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she wrote, “Our brave girl left her legacy here on earth to dance on streets of gold. Bella passed peacefully in our arms. Please keep her name alive, cherish her memories, and remember her bravery.”
Kyla also posted a TikTok of Bella dancing in a purple dress to “Never Enough” by Loren Allred from The Greatest Showman. In the post, she invited others to share how Bella had impacted their lives, saying, “Bella would want you to remember: God is love, be brave, and you’re never too old to bring a stuffed animal.”
Bella’s mother posted a note on Instagram the day she died, saying, “It feels like my mind is protecting me from the overwhelming fear of losing my child. Everything feels numb.” I still have optimism in spite of everything.”
Just a week earlier, on July 10, Bella was placed in a medically induced coma due to complications from a lung infection, as her mother explained. She had also been intubated in the ICU on July 9.
Bella’s supporters left touching messages in the comments of her latest TikTok video, honoring the brave 10-year-old. She was born with three rare medical conditions: dwarfism, Hirschsprung disease, and severe combined immunodeficiency, which affects the immune system. Her mother noted that having all three conditions together is very uncommon.
In 2020, Bella was placed on a waiting list for a bowel transplant and finally received the surgery at SickKids Hospital in Toronto in 2023. Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds visited Bella after her transplant, and several videos of their time together went viral. One video of him sitting next to her hospital bed received 3 million likes.
Before her passing, Bella shared her vision of heaven with People, saying, “Heaven has a lot of clouds, a big castle built of clouds. God would be there.”