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Tanner Martin shared an update on his cancer just days before the expected birth of his first child with his wife Shay Wright
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The influencer, who has built a community of supportive followers since documenting his colorectal cancer diagnosis at age 25, revealed the date his little girl is expected to be born
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Tanner and Shay opened up to PEOPLE exclusively in November 2024 about the exciting baby news, which co-mingled with “grief, fear and anxiety”
Tanner Martin is giving his followers an update on his cancer journey, just days before becoming a first-time dad.
The influencer, who began documenting his colorectal cancer diagnosis at age 25 alongside his wife Shay Wright, opened up in a new Instagram video about his health status ahead of his little girl’s expected arrival on May 17.
“Just thought I’d hop on here and give you guys a quick update. The chemo makes me really hoarse, so I sound like a different me,” he began in the clip. “But I’m doing okay, just tired. Guess what’s happening. Guess who arrives in six days.”
Related: Last Year, He Was Told He Has 2 to 5 Years to Live. Now He and His Wife Are Expecting a Baby (Exclusive)
Shay Martin/Instagram
Shay Wright and Tanner Martin enjoy breakfast together
Tanner then grabs two tiny baby slippers and pretends to make them walk step by step in the air. “She probably won’t be able to do that yet, maybe the week after,” he joked of his soon-to-be newborn.
“Anyway, that’s what I wanted to share,” he continued in the video. “I stop my chemo for a week tomorrow because it’s three weeks on, one week off. Very excited for that… anyways, that’s my update. Love you,” he concluded, blowing kisses to the camera.
The couple, who has been married for over six years, built a supportive community of thousands on social media while documenting Tanner’s journey with cancer. Among the videos they have shared include ways they’re ensuring he will “always be involved” in their baby’s life when the little one arrives.
On March 9, the pair shared an Instagram video of Tanner opening a “sweet gift” they received in the mail so his daughter will always know that they are connected, which included a book and bracelets.
“The hardest thing about having a kid right now is knowing the chance I won’t see them grow up,” he said in the clip. “And I know that’s the risk you take, having a kid when you have cancer, but I was just always excited to be a dad.”
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Shay Martin/Instagram
Tanner Martin and his wife, Shay Wright enjoy tea and dessert together
On Feb. 26, the couple opened up about why they decided to have a kid amid his terminal cancer diagnosis.
“This was not a decision we came to lightly, we probably took two years,” Shay began in “part 1” of the Instagram clip. Tanner added that he was “pretty convinced” they weren’t going to follow through at one point, saying he was “pretty set on that.”
“You see the stats for single-parent households and you know what that can do for kids. Just a lot of opportunities they wouldn’t have,” he explained, noting that they both went to school for therapy. “Also, I have cancer and it can be genetic… which would friggin’ suck.”
Shay jumped in to say that Tanner’s cancer isn’t genetic, to which he confirmed they’re “pretty sure” it isn’t genetic. “Those were the two biggest things on my mind,” he said of the possibility of passing down the cancer and the possibility of not being there for his child.
They also toggled with “preventatives,” too, for positive outcomes if they chose to have a child. One of them included increased family involvement, so Shay asked her brother if he’d be willing to step in as a male figure if needed.
Related: Man Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer at 25. Now, the Newlywed Is Planning for Wife’s Future ‘Beyond My Life’ (Exclusive)
Shay Martin/Instagram
Shay Wright and her husband, Tanner Martin
In November 2024, Tanner and Shay opened up to PEOPLE exclusively about the anticipation of being first-time parents — and how the excitement of the pregnancy news, after undergoing IVF, was co-mingling with “grief, fear and anxiety.”
Tanner was just 25 years old when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in November 2020. As he told PEOPLE in an earlier interview, he was told in February 2023 that his cancer was no longer curable. Doctors estimated that he would have a life expectancy of two to five years.
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