Sara Holmes, also known as HojuSara, an Australian YouTuber, died on September 1, 2022 at the age of 31 after a six-month battle with leukemia. Since the death of the Korean kitchen lover became known, the tributes poured in on social media. Her fiancé Hyun announced her death on September 5, and in a memorial he wrote:
“Since goodbyes are painful, let’s say Bbyong instead.” bbyong!’”
“Bbyong” is a Korean slang expression meaning “appearance” or “disappearance” and is usually used endearingly to express “dieu”.
Hyun also shared a 40-minute video on Holmes’s YouTube account, which contained a voice message from the hospital. The video contained an audio message recorded by Holmes from the hospital shortly before her death, in which she said:
“If you’re reading this, I adore you all. If you’re reading this, I’m looking at you from the sky. I wanted to see it to the conclusion. I’ll take care of everyone… if you see something great, it’s me.
The YouTuber continued:
This is not the end of the story. I’m still fighting. I’m fighting… I wanted to spend more quality time with all of you. I was going to write you all a note, but this arrived sooner than I expected. I’ve made so many great friends. I think I’ve used up all my luck. I have no regrets. I wish I could spend more time with you, but I’ll be watching you.”
In August, doctors told Hyun she had only a week to live. She survived for 10 days before suddenly dying in September.
When HojuSara died, the tributes poured in.
The YouTuber’s untimely death shook the internet. Holmes has over 341k subscribers to the video sharing site and 50.8k Instagram followers. Condolences to her family and friends filled her social media sites.
Oh god HojuSara just passed away 😭 She had been battling leukemia for 6 months but I really thought she was going to make it. Just watched Hyun’s heartbreaking video and cried so hard for an hour I could barely breathe 😭 Life is so damn unfair – they deserved the world… pic.twitter.com/cCViLHxtvC
— Sarah⁷ (@sarahgirl1412) September 5, 2022
idk if anyone knows who hojusara is but she is an australian vlogger living in korea she went to the 2018 MAMAs specially to see stray kids just because they had australian members (like her) and wanted to encourage them🥺
6 months ago she got leukemia and today she passed away pic.twitter.com/u2Vuxnb7BX— eru링💜 stay maximum 💗 (@skzeru) September 6, 2022
Sara Holmes’ hospitalization in detail.
Sara Holmes was diagnosed with leukemia after returning to Brisbane in May 2022 from her fiancé Hyun’s home country of Sydney. She developed unusual and unexpected back problems while visiting a friend there. When she returned to Brisbane, the discomfort did not go away, so she went to the emergency room for several tests. She was checked for blood clots, but was misdiagnosed as “muscle pain.” Holmes was told to go home and relax for a few days.
However, when she left the hospital, the YouTuber passed out and was transferred to another hospital for more testing. This is where she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The influencer claimed the news surprised her because she led a very healthy life. She didn’t drink or smoke, and she often exercised. Holmes started chemotherapy as soon as she was able, and she has spent every day with her fiancé and parents since her diagnosis.
