Victoria Marsh, a 19-year-old Middletown woman who lived with Down syndrome and diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer, has died.
The announcement of Marsh’s death came in a Facebook post from a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children and families living with osteosarcoma, the cancer she was diagnosed with in 2015.
“We are deeply saddened to share that Victoria passed away in this life,” the post said. “… But she lives in each of us who have known her. His handprint is indeed in our hearts.
The Dover Police Department, which helped Marsh meet Taylor Swift a few years ago, also shared the post on their page.
“We are incredibly sad to hear of Victoria’s passing,” the post said. “Victoria was a true inspiration and showed tremendous strength and determination during her fight.”
In 2015, Marsh made a video proclaiming her love for Swift and her desire to meet her in person or via video chat, as she was told she couldn’t leave the hospital at that time. The video went viral, and Marsh was able to leave the hospital for a few hours to meet the pop star backstage on the last night of his “1989 tour” in Philadelphia in 2015.
Marsh was one of the few people in the world to live with Down syndrome and osteosarcoma. In February 2015, she had the lower half of her left leg amputated and received a prosthesis, which her family commonly referred to as her “fancy foot”.
Marsh was a competitive swimmer and enjoyed cooking, journaling and playing cards, according to her website. Last June, Marsh graduated from Appoquinimink High School where she led the volleyball team and was a member of the varsity swim team.
Under Facebook posts, many comments share fond memories of Marsh.
“So proud to have known her, but especially to have learned from her”, we read in a comment.
Contact the reporter at [email protected] or connect with him on Twitter @joseicastaneda.
