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How did Ebi Eats die? Medic influencer who hosted 'Nurse Speak' leaves fans 'heartbroken'

Influencer medic Ebi Eats aka Ebi Porbeni has died after his struggle with leukemia

An intensive care nurse and podcaster who had quite the following on social media has tragically died following a long battle with leukemia.

Influencer medic Ebi Porbeni, who was known for hosting the Nurse Speak podcast, died on Tuesday afternoon, July 20. The famous health professional was diagnosed with leukemia last September and candidly shared his battle with the disease with his social media followers. At the time of his death, the nurse reportedly had 1.2 million followers on his Instagram profile @nurselifern, where he shared stories about his job.

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"With heavy hearts, we are sad to share Ebi passed away on Tuesday afternoon surrounded by his family and friends," a statement on Instagram read. “One thing we know is the positive impact that the @NurseLifeRN community had on his life. His family request we honor his privacy.”

The heartbreaking news sparked an outpouring of love from Ebi's fans on social media as they mourned his passing, with some blaming the tragedy on what they claimed was a "for-profit healthcare system." "Today we said a final goodbye to our friend, Ebi," Scrubs magazine posted on Twitter. "Ebi, you were a tremendous human being, making us all laugh with your sarcastic and quick wit. We speak for our followers when we say, you brought sunshine into our lives daily. Rest in peace, friend."

"The passing of @ebi_eats highlights the huge fucking flaws in the US healthcare system. Human beings don’t have a price tag. Do fucking better, America. I love you Ebi," a fan tweeted. "It’s heartbreaking to think that a man who influenced so many of our lives as nurses is gone. cancer is a bitch. we lost an amazing man who advocated for so many people throughout his short life. you will be so very missed @ebi_eats," another added.

"A lot of nurses you know are mourning the loss of @ebi_eats. Crying even typing that. He was the nurse behind @nurselifern, the OG nurse meme page on IG that gets a lot of nurses through shit shifts. Hilarious, relatable, and real. We’ve lost a friend. Miss you Ebi. #f***cancer," a third wrote. "Pretty devastated to hear about Ebi’s passing. He was doing such important work for the nursing community. We love you, @ebi_eats and Sundays will always be for you and the plants," a fourth chimed in.

"I woke up to find out the terrible news that our leader and nursing icon Ebi passed away. No one had an impact on the nursing community like he did literally heartbroken. Rest easy @ebi_eats," a comment read. "I’m so heartbroken over a human I never met, but I felt so close with. Thank you, Ebi, for changing the world of nursing, bettering our community, and reminding us to water our plants. The system is fucked. For-profit healthcare is cruel. RIP @ebi_eats," another bemoaned.

Porbeni had launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his treatment, drawing more than $250K in donations. He told his followers how "nervous" he was to document his battle with cancer, admitting he was "hesitant" about creating an online fundraiser.

The medical influencer was born in Nigeria and moved to Chicago at the age of nine. Professionally, he was an intensive care nurse in Los Angeles and even hosted the popular Nurse Speak podcast. Following his death, the @NurseLifeRN Instagram profile appears to have been made private.