TikToker Jayden dies months after battle with blood condition

Ugandan TikTok personality Timothy Kayanja, popularly known as Jayden, has passed away following a prolonged battle with a serious blood condition.

News of his death was announced on Tuesday morning by fellow Ugandan TikToker Sheila Price, months after Ugandans rallied to raise money for his treatment.

“The sad news we just got at this moment is that Jayden has passed on. It’s such bad news,” Sheila said.

Further details about the circumstances and place of his death were not immediately available.

Jayden had spent much of the past year battling serious health complications linked to sickle cell disease and aplastic anaemia.

His health struggles attracted national attention in late 2025 after he appealed to the public for financial assistance to undergo a bone marrow transplant.

Jayden had lived with sickle cell disease for about 20 years. Doctors at TMR International Hospital said his condition became more complicated after his bone marrow struggled to produce sufficient blood cells.

In December 2025, he was rushed to TMR International Hospital in Naalya after developing severe chest pain and breathing difficulties.

Doctors said he suffered acute chest syndrome and a vaso-occlusive crisis, serious complications associated with sickle cell disease. His oxygen levels had also fallen dangerously low.

His doctors also found that hydroxyurea, a medicine commonly used to manage sickle cell disease, was suppressing his bone marrow rather than providing the expected benefit.

Jayden was subsequently diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a serious condition in which the bone marrow fails to produce enough blood cells. Doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant as his best treatment option.

The diagnosis prompted a major fundraising campaign led by fellow content creators, friends and other well-wishers. Treatment estimates ranged from tens to hundreds of millions of shillings, depending on the hospital, procedure and post-transplant care required.

The campaign received widespread attention on social media as Jayden openly documented his illness and appealed for support.

There appeared to be a breakthrough in July when Jayden underwent the long-awaited bone marrow procedure.

On July 8, media personality Gideon Nova Kwikiriza announced that Jayden had safely come out of theatre and was considered out of danger at the time.

“This is to inform you all that our very own, our boy Jayden had a successful bone marrow surgery and is both out of theatre and danger,” Kwikiriza said at the time.

His reported death just over two months later brings a sad end to a health battle that had drawn support from thousands of Ugandans online.

Jayden built a following through humorous social media content, including observations about everyday Ugandan life and cultural differences.

Further information from his family and medical team about his death was awaited by publication time.