A plate of apple wedges sits on the table in front of him before he says a word about the dog. “I have stage 4 brain cancer,” Andy, who posts on TikTok as @skighathletics, says to open a 105 second video posted in September 2026. “If you can hang out for the next 60 seconds or until the video ends, that would be greatly appreciated.”
Then he points to the plate. “So you can see I have cut up apples in front of me.” The text on screen reads “Stage 4 Brain Cancer” between sparkle emojis, and the caption sets the mood for the rest: “I hope you all enjoy Maple eating an apple.”
Maple is the new dog he has mentioned in earlier videos. “If you’ve been following me or if you’ve seen my last few videos, I may have mentioned I have a new dog, a Pitbull. Her name is Maple,” he says. “She’s excellent.” He gives a precise count of how long she has been with him, a month and three days, and says she is more comfortable now. “I walked her today and she’s totally fine, so that was nice.”
He is plain about what this video is not. “So I’ve got no medical updates, and the rest of the video is going to be me feeding her this apple.” He signs off with “I’ll talk to you guys again soon,” and for the next minute and more, that is exactly what the camera shows. It drops to Maple’s level, a brindle and white dog in a collar, nosing at the plate, taking pieces of apple from his fingers and chewing, while the kitchen floor and a doorway fill the background.
The diagnosis is his own description, and the video gives no further medical detail.
What Stage 4 Means When Doctors Talk About Brain Tumors
The National Cancer Institute notes that there is no standard staging system for adult brain and spinal cord tumors. Instead, tumors are graded from I to IV to tell slow growing types from fast growing ones. Grade IV tumor cells do not look like normal cells under a microscope and grow and spread very quickly, and the institute says Grade IV tumors usually cannot be completely removed by surgery. Tumors that begin in the brain rarely spread to other parts of the body, though they can spread within the brain or to the spine.
According to the institute’s SEER cancer statistics, an estimated 24,740 new cases of brain and other nervous system cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2026, which is 1.2 percent of all new cancer cases, and an estimated 18,350 people will die of the disease. The five year relative survival rate across all of these cancers is 32.9 percent, based on SEER data from 2016 to 2022. Those are figures for the whole group of cancers, not a statement about any one person.
Why a Dog in the Kitchen Matters
The National Institutes of Health, in its NIH News in Health feature on pets, reports that interacting with animals has been shown to lower levels of cortisol, a stress related hormone, and to lower blood pressure, and that other studies have found animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support and boost mood. The same feature notes that walking a dog several times a day adds physical activity, and quotes a researcher who works with patients who have cancer and terminal illnesses saying that dogs “know how to sit there and be loving.”
If You Want to Share Apple With Your Own Dog
Apple is a safe treat for most dogs, with a few rules. The American Kennel Club says dogs can eat apples in moderation and that apples provide vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and antioxidants, with most of the fiber in the peel.
Cut the apple first, as Andy did. The AKC warns that apple seeds contain a small amount of cyanide, which can harm a dog in large doses, and that the tough core and the stem can cause choking. Slice around the core, throw the core, seeds and stem away where the dog cannot reach them, and keep an eye out for digestive trouble if a piece of core does get swallowed.
Keep the portion small. The AKC says a whole apple is likely too much for a dog because of the sugar, and that an apple slice or two is enough. Andy’s plate held far more than one dog’s serving; split a plate like that across several days or share it with the people at the table.
Start slow with a new dog. Maple had been with him a month and three days, and he describes her as only now more comfortable. With a dog that is still settling in, offer one piece at a time from your hand, let her take it, and try a single slice the first time to see how her stomach handles it.
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