Joe Smith, a devoted father and TikToker, shared the devastating news of his six-year-old daughter Joules Smith’s passing. Joules succumbed to diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and fatal brain tumor, in the early hours of December 9, 2024. Joe and his wife, Elisha Smith, stayed by their daughter’s side during her final moments, cherishing every precious second with her.
Diagnosed earlier this year, Joules’s condition had left her with just nine months to live. Joe initially shared the heartbreaking news of her diagnosis on TikTok, revealing how the discovery of a mass on her brain at King’s College Hospital in London changed their lives forever. Doctors explained that the tumor was aggressive, inoperable, and terminal, leaving her parents to grapple with the inevitability of losing their beloved daughter.
@gingerjoeandjoules We love you our little dancing queen 💕#dancingforjoules
Joe, a loving and devoted father, described Joules as his best friend, dance partner, and a source of unending inspiration. Determined to make her remaining time as joyful as possible, he pledged to fill her days with happiness and love—a promise he upheld until her last breath. Joules passed away in her parents’ bed, surrounded by their love.
Following her diagnosis, Joe and Elisha stepped away from social media to focus on Joules, ensuring every moment with her was meaningful. The couple also found support from friends, family, and a compassionate online community. A family friend, Kirk Norcross, set up a GoFundMe page that raised over $120,000 to help ease the family’s financial burden and create joyful experiences for Joules. Joe expressed deep gratitude for the outpouring of generosity, noting how the funds enabled them to focus entirely on their daughter’s well-being.
The TikTok community played a vital role in spreading awareness of Joules’s story and childhood cancer. A viral trend, “Dancing for Joules,” inspired countless people to post videos in her honor, celebrating her love for dance and her indomitable spirit. Joe encouraged the community to continue the trend in her memory, pledging to keep dancing for his “beautiful little dancing queen.”
In the months leading to her passing, Joe kept followers updated on Joules’s condition. Just weeks before her death, he tearfully shared that medical professionals had warned the family they had limited time left. Despite the looming reality, he took comfort in knowing they had given Joules some of the happiest months of her life, filled with laughter, dancing, and cherished moments.
Elisha Smith also shared her gratitude, thanking everyone who supported them during the most challenging seven months of their lives. She posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, expressing pride in her daughter and the joy she brought to the world. “We are absolutely heartbroken,” she wrote.
Joules’s send-off is scheduled for December 27 at The Garden of Eden Crematorium in Kent, England. Joe and Elisha have invited friends, family, and supporters to join them in celebrating Joules’s life and giving her the farewell she deserves. Joe described her as “the bravest, kindest, most beautiful little girl,” and vowed to keep her legacy alive.
As the world bids farewell to this courageous little girl, her story serves as a poignant reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the profound impact one life can have on millions. Joules may be gone, but her legacy of love, laughter, and dancing lives on in the hearts of all who knew her story.
