YouTube Phenom the Dolan Twins Create an Emotional Documentary About Losing Their Dad to Cancer

Ethan and Grayson Dolan, 20, who have more than 10 million subscribers for their comedic videos, have poured their love into the just-released hour-and-a-half video, “Losing a Best Friend,” which takes a look at their dad’s life, and those who loved him. Sean Dolan, an educator, died in January 2019 of stage 4 esophageal cancer, which he battled for 2 1/2 years.

In 2019 my Dad lost his fight with cancer. He loved helping people more than anything. So, Ethan and I have created #LoveFromSean a foundation where all proceeds go to his favorite cancer orgs. This is what he would've wanted.

Your donations mean so muchhttps://t.co/bEPqV9dDev pic.twitter.com/qTEB7lHEi8

Grayson Dolan (@GraysonDolan) February 17, 2020

The documentary, which within a day had some 5 million views, comes hand-in-hand with a new foundation called Love From Sean, which operates under the umbrella organization Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). Through YouTube alone, Love From Sean has already generated some $90,000 in donations.

“In 2016 he was diagnosed with a rare, stage IV esophageal cancer that took his life in 2019 and stripped him of the ability to do what he loved mosthelp others,” the brothers say on the foundation website.

Not gonna lie I'm pretty overwhelmed by the amount of love we've received today. Thank you to my friends, my family, you guys, and one of my biggest idols for the support you've shown today. Forever grateful ???? pic.twitter.com/innckBk8NI

Grayson Dolan (@GraysonDolan) February 18, 2020

It’s unclear where, exactly, the money will be going, but the Love From Sean website says it will “help cancer patients afford travel to and from quality treatment centers … advance the development of new treatments and drugs … fund pediatric cancer research and foster hope … help cancer centers like Memorial Sloan Kettering continue to provide amazing care to other families like they did for ours,” and more.

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Fans were overwhelmed with grief as the twins revealed intimate scenes of their own response to their father’s death.

I'm watching the Documentary The Dolan Twins made about their dad and his journey fighting cancer and I've cried every second of it. It's honestly so beautiful.

yulissa (@yugarcia26) February 19, 2020

Dealing with the Grief of a Parent

When the Dolan twins sit down with a therapist in the video, she tells them that grief is an individual journey with “no right way” to go about it.

Experts do tell SurvivorNet that each person goes through the stages of grief their own way and pace. And when you lose a parent to cancer at a young age, that feeling of loss and sadness can really linger. But that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. SurvivorNet community member Camila Legaspi lost her mom to breast cancer when she was in high school, and told SurvivorNet that when she went to college she was able to turn that immense sense of loss into inspiration for her creative writing.

SurvivorNet community member Camila Legaspi 

"I actually took this sadness and let it motivate me," Camila, 23, told SurvivorNet. "I learned that it's OK to be sad sometimes. It's OK to carry sadness with you … it's not always a bad thing. It makes you who you are and it gives you a story to tell and it helps you teach other people to cope with their sadness."

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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