Mother of 6 Was Misdiagnosed for Months – She Later Died from a Rare Form of Cancer

It started small, just a cough that didn't go away. Then came the fatigue, the sleepless nights, and eventually, the collapse. A freak accident uncovered the reality of her condition, but it was what Deborah Finck did next that would touch hundreds of thousands.

Deborah Finck was a wife and mother of six, and in her final years, a viral presence online. She spent five years battling a rare and aggressive cancer that even her doctors couldn't identify at first. Her journey, marked by months of misdiagnoses and a sudden, life-altering discovery, would come to represent both the fragility and strength of the human body.

But what stood out most was how she chose to live through her illness. From hospital rooms to her living room, Deborah documented her experiences for her followers online, offering unfiltered glimpses into pain, hope, and unconditional love. With the help of her daughter, she turned social media into a space for truth, humor, and connection, even as her time was running out.

A Sudden Health Spiral and Months of Misdiagnosis

Deborah began experiencing persistent coughing fits, fatigue, and severe exhaustion, symptoms that gradually took over her daily life. Over several months, she visited multiple doctors, each offering a different explanation: bronchitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and recurring respiratory infections.

Despite various treatments, her condition continued to deteriorate. She couldn't sleep, she struggled to breathe, and at times, she collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Her family watched helplessly as she suffered, searching for answers that never came.

A loved one described her struggles as "Painful to go through and heartbreaking to watch." The constant misdiagnoses delayed the identification of the actual cause, an error that would cost her valuable time.

Throughout this period, no test or consultation pointed to anything more severe than a common lung condition. It was only by chance, an unexpected and painful accident, that the true source of Deborah's symptoms would finally come to light.

An Accident That May Have Saved Her Life

While traveling with her husband, Deborah's life took a sudden turn. A waiter accidentally bumped into her, causing one of her ribs to break. It was a painful injury, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The fracture led her to get a CT scan, which revealed something doctors hadn't seen before: a plum-sized mass in her pulmonary artery.

At first, her orthopedic doctor believed it might be an embolism and urged her to go straight to the emergency room. But once she arrived at her local hospital, it became clear the situation was far more complicated. A pulmonary specialist reviewed the scan and admitted that the mass didn't resemble anything they were familiar with.

"They could not really be sure what it was or what to do," her family recalled. What followed was a string of unsettling encounters. Teams of doctors came and went, often repeating the same alarming message, "This is beyond us, you have to go somewhere else." Despite being in the care of a major hospital, Deborah was effectively left without a treatment plan.

Her condition had outpaced the system designed to help her. The turning point came after several difficult weeks. Deborah was finally referred to a specialist in another state, someone who not only recognized her condition but had treated it before.

A Race Against Time and a Rare Diagnosis

Deborah and her husband, Paul Finck, traveled three hours to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where a new medical team began to evaluate her case. There, she finally received the diagnosis that had eluded doctors for months: leiomyosarcoma.

It was a rare and aggressive cancer that had taken hold of her pulmonary artery, a location so uncommon that many physicians hadn't recognized it at all. The diagnosis finally made sense of the months-long confusion, but it also brought an overwhelming reality.

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a type of soft tissue sarcoma that begins in the smooth muscles of hollow organs, such as the uterus, stomach, intestines, bladder, or blood vessels. According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 15,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with soft tissue sarcomas each year, and LMS accounts for just ten percent to 20 percent of those cases.

That means roughly one in every 100,000 people develops this disease. While it can affect anyone, it is most commonly found in females over the age of five. Symptoms vary based on where the tumor develops. Some people may have no signs early on, while others experience issues as the tumor grows.

Common symptoms include a firm, painless lump, abdominal bloating, fever, nausea, or vomiting. In Deborah's case, the tumor caused severe respiratory issues — constant coughing, extreme fatigue, and eventually, collapse.

Because those symptoms mirrored common conditions like asthma and bronchitis, her cancer remained hidden for months. Time was now critical. Deborah's condition required immediate and complex intervention. Treatment options for her condition typically include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted therapy.

But for Deborah, the tumor's location required immediate, high-risk surgery. Within days of the diagnosis, her care team scheduled an extensive open-heart procedure to remove the mass from her pulmonary artery.

The procedure would involve cooling her body to 20 degrees Celsius, draining all her blood, opening her chest cavity, and temporarily removing her heart to access the tumor. Doctors warned the family that they didn't know exactly what they were dealing with and listed the possible complications.

"[They] insisted Deborah's husband be on ready by his phone to discuss any 'difficult decisions' they might have to make during surgery," her family wrote. The risks were so high that she was given just a five to ten percent chance of not surviving the day.

The night before the operation, Deborah gathered with all six of her children to say goodbye, just in case. Thankfully, the operation was successful.

Documenting the Journey Online

In the months following her surgery, Deborah began sharing her life online. It was her youngest daughter, Katerina, who encouraged her to start posting, believing it would lift her spirits and give her a creative outlet during recovery.

Deborah's TikTok and Instagram pages soon became a space where she talked openly about cancer, parenting, and finding joy in the ordinary. Her videos offered a rare mix of honesty and humor, documenting both the realities of illness and the moments of light that still broke through.

By the end of her life, she had built a community of over 800,000 followers. "My mom was the type of person who made friends with everyone," Katerina reflected. "She could talk to the wall and have a great time."

For Deborah, social media became more than just a distraction. It became a platform to share what she had learned through pain and to connect with others facing challenges. Filming together also gave mother and daughter a shared purpose.

Even as the illness chipped away at Deborah's ability to travel, cook, or host the way she used to, she never stopped showing up for her audience or her family. Her videos offered reminders that life was still good, still worth living, even when it was hard.

Hospice, Heartbreak, and Legacy

By late 2024, Deborah's health had sharply declined. The coughing returned, her breathing worsened, and the cancer had become too advanced for further surgical options. Doctors told her there was nothing more they could do. It was time to consider hospice.

At first, she refused. "I'm not doing that. I'm finding other options," she told her care team. Deborah had never stopped fighting, but when she finally agreed to hospice care weeks later, it wasn't a surrender, but a shift in how she chose to spend her remaining time. On December 31, 2024, Deborah began hospice at home.

Katerina, who lived states away in Alabama, dropped everything to be by her side in Connecticut. Other siblings, who lived closer, came and went throughout the week. But it was Katerina and her dad, Paul, who remained by her side until the very end. In those final weeks, Deborah didn't want to sleep the days away.

Instead, she continued filming, reading emails from supporters, and making memories with her children. One of her last posts was a call for suggestions on how she and Katerina should spend their time together, a question that ultimately led to a moment that touched viewers worldwide.

As her condition worsened, the family created something lasting. Each sibling wrote down questions they wanted to ask their mom — about her favorite memories, her dreams, and what she wanted them to remember.

A Wedding Dress Fitting That Became a Final Gift

As Deborah's condition worsened, the time she had left became painfully uncertain. Knowing this, Katerina wanted to create a moment the two of them could hold onto forever, something special just between mother and daughter.

Though Katerina wasn't engaged, she decided to go wedding dress shopping so her mother could be part of the experience while she still had the chance. This suggestion came from a fan who sent an email after Deborah asked her followers how she and her daughter should spend their final days together.

That message resonated, and with help from the sender, whose aunt worked at a bridal boutique, local shops were contacted until one agreed to help. The boutique brought ten dresses to Deborah's home, wheeling them in on a rack. Katerina tried each one on while Deborah, seated nearby, shared her thoughts and reactions.

The video montage they posted online only showed the gowns Katerina didn't choose. The final one, the one that mattered most, was kept off camera. "You look stunning in that dress," Deborah told her daughter as she saw her in the gown she loved most. She explained that she chose not to share that moment publicly in case Katerina ever wore the dress on her real wedding day.

In her final message at the end of the video, Deborah said, "I love you, Kat. Mommy will always be there with you, I promise. No matter where I am. And I'm glad that you shared this day with me. I love you so much. Have a wonderful wedding day."

Katerina later shared that she planned to honor her mother's wishes. "I told her I wanted to get the gown she liked, and then I'd wear her wedding dress for my future rehearsal dinner," she said. "Simple as that. She said, 'OK. I'd like that.'" Deborah died two days later.

Her Lasting Impact on Family and Followers

Deborah passed away peacefully on January 14, 2025. She was 57. Paul shared the news with their extended community on Instagram. "My heart is shattered as I share the news that my beloved wife, Deborah, has passed away," he revealed. "After a brave and relentless five-year battle with cancer, she left this world peacefully, surrounded by love."

In the same post, he honored her not only as a wife and mother but as a woman whose strength, devotion, and warmth defined everything she did. "She brought light into every room she entered and touched the lives of everyone she met with her warmth, compassion, and unwavering grace," he wrote.

Deborah was survived by Paul and their six adult children — three sets of twins: Amanda and Alexandra, 29; Katerina and Stephen, 24; and David and Daniel, 23. Together, they had formed the heart of her world. She poured herself into motherhood with devotion and purpose.

Katerina, now continuing her mother's social media presence in tribute, reflected on how those final months helped both of them find connection in a time of uncertainty.

"Making TikToks made sense for us as mother and daughter," she said. "We'd talk to each other and talk to the audience like they were our best friends. And that's what social media is about: making connections and making friends."

Deborah's story highlights how easily serious illnesses can go undetected — even in patients with ongoing, persistent symptoms. Her story also stresses the importance of persistence in seeking answers when the usual explanations don't add up. While the diagnosis came late, it allowed her time for treatment, reflection, and a chance to shape how she spent the rest of her life.

Deborah chose to use that time deliberately. By documenting her experience publicly, she not only left lasting memories for her family but also helped raise awareness of a rare condition that many have never heard of. In doing so, she offered others something she had searched so long for herself: clarity, connection, and a sense of being seen.