In between mostly benign trends about ‘aura scores’ or bizarre (and still unfolding) moments of raunchy public behavior, netizens will find some truly harrowing stories over on TikTok.
Users of the platform recently watched on as an innocent labrador got caught in the crossfire of a police dog training session, and elsewhere caught up on the story of Harrison Butker’s viral (and now-infamous) graduation speech at Benedictine College.
Now, yet another eyebrow-raising story has made its way into our For You Pages, this time centred on one user’s very painful medical ordeal. The video, uploaded on May 14, documents the gradually worsening condition of TikTok user Natalie Garcia’s finger, and has since amassed nearly 27 million views.
As explained in the video, when Garcia first noticed her bulging middle finger, she was told by medical professionals that it was just a fracture. As a result, Garcia underwent surgery on her finger, but continued to document it in the months after. Those videos, taken at month-long intervals, show the bulge on her finger continuing to grow, to the point where it became markedly bulbous three months post-surgery. The video goes on to chronicle Garcia’s ongoing treatment for the condition, which included a failed second surgery and chemotherapy treatment.
By the end of the clip, viewers learn that Garcia’s medical ordeal also involved a dislocation and an eventual amputation. Elaborating on her story in the comments section, Garcia clarified that doctors initially thought the bulging finger was a fracture, but after noticing her deteriorating bone months after surgery, referred her to a hand specialist. The specialist diagnosed Garcia with a hand tumor, and even though she underwent chemotherapy, the tumor continued to grow in size.
After continually hearing that the chemotherapy was effective, Garcia got another opinion from a second doctor, who informed her that it was too late to stop the growth and directed her to have the finger amputated. Garcia went on to explain the entire ordeal in a series of separate videos, opening up discussion on possible neglect on the doctors’ part. Users sent their well-wishes after the “traumatizing” experience, and called out the doctor for misdiagnosing the tumour as a hairline fracture in the first place.
Thankfully, Garcia appears to be on the mend, and has regularly updated followers on her healing and recovery. “Better off without it,” Garcia wrote in a post-amputation video, before elaborating on how she experienced phantom limb syndrome. In any case, the situation has seen users flock to TikTok to share similar stories in the comments, with some urging Garcia to sue the doctors for malpractice.
Using her story for good, Garcia has educated followers on how she now goes about life with an amputated finger, sharing videos of how she does her hair, makes coffee, and perhaps most hilariously, flips people off.