“Life Is So Unfair”: Social Media Reacts as Family Receives Deceased Vet Student’s PhD on Stage

• A UC Davis Weill Vet Med family accepted a posthumous Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree on behalf of their daughter, who lost her battle with glioblastoma before graduation day
• Thousands of people rushed to the comments, saying she was already working as a vet, taking care of the pets their own families had lost
• Glioblastoma kills around 10,000 people in the United States every single year and most patients survive no longer than 15 months after diagnosis

A dream she never stopped chasing was finally placed in her family’s hands, just too late for her to hold it herself.

Her family stood on a graduation stage at UC Davis Weill Vet Med in California in April 2026. She had spent years pushing through her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Brain cancer took her before she could cross that finish line herself. But UC Davis made sure her name was still called, her degree still earned, and her life still honoured.

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She fought the whole way through

The young woman had been living with glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain cancers in existence. It kills roughly 10,000 people in the United States every year. Most patients survive just 12 to 15 months after diagnosis. She studied through treatment, through exhaustion, and through the kind of physical pain most people will never understand. She was going to become a vet. That was not up for debate. Her family watched her hold on to that goal until the very end.

The moment that stopped the internet

Her sister Tuli posted a TikTok clip on 17 April 2026 showing the family receiving the degree at the ceremony. The video spread fast, gaining 1,2 million likes in three days. People who had never met this family were crying at their phones. That short clip carried the weight of years of sacrifice, love, and loss.

The comments section became something beautiful

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The response online was overwhelming in the best way. Thousands of people flooded in to send their condolences to the family. Some started writing that she was already working as a vet, just from the other side. Commenters said she was up there looking after all the pets their families had lost. One person wrote that their dog, who passed last year, finally had a doctor watching over him. Another said their cat was in good hands now.

See the TikTok clip below:

Social media reacts to the gesture by the university

Briefly News compiled some comments from the post below

@Britt8333 commented:

“I hate glioblastoma. I hope you and your family are healing.”

@Hooteeni said:

“She’s the vet for all of our pets over the rainbow bridge.”

@norabellemichelle highlighted:

“I’m a glioblastoma scientist. 👩‍🔬 I’m so sorry for your loss. It’s such an aggressive disease, and we are working hard to find new treatments.”

@LadyGaymerDragon wrote:

“Your sister is still goated for this because you're telling me she had a whole debilitating tumour in her brain and still managed to complete one of the most difficult degree programs? It's not a thought that's going to comfort you on your worst grief days, but I hope you let her legacy inspire you. She is a powerhouse, and nothing can take that from her.”

@5user70 said:

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“I’m a vet student and spent four years in undergrad studying glioblastoma. It’s such an awful disease. Sending all the love. This was a beautiful way to honour your sister. ❤️”

@erynnstepheni commented:

“Imagine working all your life for this, and then you pass away. Unreal. Life is so unfair.”

More about graduates

• CPUT graduate Thandi Javu was denied entry to her graduation ceremony after security said someone had already checked in under her name.
• A man who failed his studies walked across a CPUT graduation stage and collected a certificate that was not his.
• Zulu engineering graduates from CPUT took their pop-off straight to the Bellville Campus pavement the moment their 2026 faculty ceremony came to a close.

Source: Briefly News