Claire Wineland (1997-2018), An Inspiring YouTube Star With Cystic Fibrosis Who Motivated Others to Action

Claire Wineland, the wonderfully brave, outspoken, inspiring and insightful young woman who had been sharing her first hand experience dealing with cystic fibrosis for most of her life through her YouTube channel, sadly passed away on Sunday, September 2, 2018. Claire had undergone a double lung transplant just the week before, but the stress of the surgery caused a stroke from under which Claire could not emerge. Through the Claire’s Place foundation, Claire’s mother Melissa Yeager posted a beautiful statement regarding Claire’s passing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

Claire did an amazing amount of living before her life was cut short. She even had an opportunity to meet Senator Bernie Sanders, her personal hero, while filming her episode of the SoulPancake series “My Last Days“.

Claire Wineland was born with Cystic Fibrosis. Doctors say she has only a short time left to live, but she never lets that stop her from making the most of every day. Her dream? To be a motivational speaker.

There is no doubt that Claire achieved that goal. From her very first video in September 2014 talking about her favorite thing to her honest TEDx talk in January 2017 to her very grateful final video in August 2018 thanking those who helped her raise money to pay for the transplant to the non-profit that carries her name, Claire Wineland’s buoyant spirit will inspire for many years to come.

Friends have taken to social media to express their condolences.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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