The Tragic Death Of YouTuber Melanie Ham
Melanie Ham, a crafting YouTuber who regularly shared her life with cancer with fans, died on January 12 at age 36, according to a post on Instagram. The news was announced on her social media profiles by her husband, Robert, who paid tribute to his wife. "It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness I share the news of the passing of my sweet, amazing, beautiful wife Melanie," he wrote in a tribute posted to Instagram. "We are short 9 days of our 16 year anniversary. My family, our doctors, our nurses and especially Melanie fought until the end and did all we could do to avoid today, but that is not our path." Robert added that his wife embodied a "warrior queen" while fighting off her illness, saying "she loved passionately, created beautifully, provided abundantly" and was his "best friend."
According to Business Insider, Ham was diagnosed with epithelioid angiomyolipoma, a type of sarcoma, a rare cancer that forms in soft tissues like fat, muscles, and the bones in 2020. Ham announced her diagnosis and subsequent treatment plan on YouTube in a video called "Cancer Update" in November of that year.
While fans around the world continue to mourn Ham's death, let's take a look at the impact she made on the crafting community.
Melanie Ham was known for her crocheting and knitting videos
Prior to her death, Melanie Ham was a successful crafting YouTuber who boasted over 800,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel. On her channel, Ham showed crafters how to create items like face masks, blankets, beanies, and more. Her most popular videos garnered millions of views, but crafting was not the only topic that viewers tuned in for. Ham also openly discussed her family life and cancer diagnosis on her YouTube channel and blog.
Last October, Ham updated her fans on her blog and said that her health had been rapidly declining, despite her undergoing surgery to be tumor-free. "After surgery I had new symptoms and after a scan we discovered that the cancer spread and had become very aggressive... again," she wrote, adding her cancer had progressed faster than anticipated. "We're always trying to stay optimistic that this will be the treatment that works, but the truth is there is no clear path on how to battle this, so we're just gonna keep fighting," she continued.
As a result of her undergoing treatment, Ham had to put crafting videos on the back burner. The last video she uploaded was dated April 2021. Fans expressed their condolences to Ham's husband Robert and their family on her social media pages. "She helped so many people through her videos. She was a teacher of so many skills!," one fan wrote, whereas another said Ham felt "like an old friend."