'Our legend:' Waukesha teen Zuza Beine who inspired millions online for documenting cancer battle dies at 14

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Like most teenage girls, Zuza Beine of Waukesha loved TikTok dances, Taylor Swift, and makeup.

An avid collector of Jellycat stuffed animals and Lego sets, Beine also spent time playing with her pets, her younger brother Fin, and visiting the beach with her parents.

"She was an ocean baby," said her mom, Dagmara. 

But unlike most teenagers, Beine was fighting a battle she'd had since she was just three years old, when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). 

What followed was years of traveling to different states for treatments, multiple relapses, and three bone marrow transplants. 

Since she spent months on end in hospitals away from other children, Dagmara and her husband, Ryan, decided to let her make social media accounts at a younger age than they originally were intending on.

"That was the only way to access kids her age," Dagmara said. 

In the beginning, Beine would post dancing and lip-synching videos to trending sounds.

“But as she became older, she really took ownership of the fact that her life was different," Dagmara said. “Instead of trying to be so much like other girls, she wanted to show people what it’s like to live with what we referred to as a chronic disease at that point.”

Her content soon became focused on the behind-the-scenes of daily life living with cancer.

"People were really able to see what this 12, 13, 14-year-old girl’s life was like," Dagmara said. "She was so honest but also was able to live with so much pain but make her life amazing.”

And users worldwide began to take notice.

“She’d always say I’m a teenage girl living with cancer, but I also love makeup," Dagmara said. "She wanted to normalize and really let people in.”

Soon, Beine had more than five million loyal followers from around the world on her TikTok and on her Instagram pages.

“This wasn’t for clicks or likes, she didn’t care if someone liked or disliked her video, it was just her outlet and her ability to do what she was sent here to do which is affect people in such a positive way," Ryan said. 

Taking ownership of her disease was 'inspiring' to her father, who said his daughter was his "greatest teacher in this life."

“To be able to endure the pain and the setbacks and the news again that her cancer was back, or that she had to go to another state to do more trials and more medicine, her resilience was amazing," Ryan said. “Normally a parent is the one who is encouraging in these situations and so many times she just had this great feel of when her mom or I was starting to get scared, and she would reassure us that everything’s okay, we’re gonna get through this.”

He fondly recalled sitting down with Zuza to make long-term plans about things they wanted to do together and people she wanted to meet.

"I've always just been in awe of her," Ryan said. "She was Zuza, 100%."

After fighting valiantly for 11 years, Beine died on Sept. 22, 2025.

She leaves behind her parents, her brother, several animals, and a legacy that will continue to grow far beyond what anyone could've envisioned.

“I am most proud of her for how fully she lived in those 14 years especially the last five years that were the hardest part of her health journey," Dagmara said. “I don’t want people to forget her or stop talking to us about her... just honestly live authentically and despite whatever circumstances people have in their lives, to live fully.”

A GoFundMe set up for Beine's family encourages all proceeds to go toward her uncle, who also recently passed. To donate, click here or here.