You know that saying “life imitating art?” Well, this story takes it to a whole new level.
On the 11th anniversary of the romance novel ‘The Fault In Our Stars,’ TikToker @yayakampen shared her story while speaking directly to author John Green.
The YA novel immediately became a best-seller when released in January 2012, which led to Hollywood adapting it into a movie starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.
Narrated by the main character, Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old girl with thyroid cancer that has affected her lungs, the novel delves into a coming-of-age love story between Lancaster and 17-year-old Augustus Waters, an ex-basketball player, amputee, and survivor of osteosarcoma.
With all the drama of a tragic love story, the novel was sure to hit the mark with the young adult market. Even if it had a sad ending, readers were reassured that true love could overcome anything, even cancer.
Which brings us back to Yaya.
She opened her monologue with, “Your book actually completely changed my life twice.”
She explained that she didn’t know anything about the book in 2014 when the movie came out.
“At the time, I was married to someone who was dying of terminal bone cancer,” Yaya added and explained her wife only had a few months left to live.
@yayakampen #stitch with @literallyjohngreen lol great story tho. really had me believing 💀 #faultinourstars #munchausensyndrome #factitiousdisorder ♬ original sound - Yaya
“But as I’m watching the movie, I’m realising that almost identical to the plot is my wife’s life, " she said.
Yaya then pointed out all the similarities to her marriage and Green’s novel.
The penny dropped when she read the book, and the realisation set in.
“So it was your story that inspired her to fake terminal bone cancer,” she revealed.
Thankfully, Yaya’s ex is still alive today, “ but I guess, thank you anyway. Congrats.”