The tragic death of actress Marnie Schulenburg at age 37

Four days before her 38th birthday, American actress Marnie Schulenburg has passed away.

A well-known soap opera actress, her most important role was that of Alison Stewart in the series 'As the World Turns.' She played Alison for 307 episodes between 2006 and 2010.

The actress also had episodic roles in series such as 'Elementary', 'Royal Pains' and 'Fringe'.

Hollywood Reporter confirmed, through a family spokesperson, that Marnie Schulenburg had died of breast cancer.

It was in May 2020, six months after giving birth to her daughter, Coda Jones, when Marnie Schulenburg discovered that she had breast cancer. She spoke about it openly on social media.

Photo: Instagram - @marnschupip4

Marnie Schulenburg's misfortune was that doctors initially mistook her metastatic breast cancer for mastitis, which is common in new mothers. Their misdiagnosis set her back months before cancer treatment could start.

Schulenburg herself described it on Instagram as "the most insidious type, inflammatory breast cancer that doesn't appear like ordinary breast cancer." She added that it "is more aggressive, affects younger women, and masquerades as a nursing infection."

"Three antibiotics, a cream, two ultrasounds, two mammograms and three biopsies," was the journey Marnie Schulenburg had to take until the diagnosis changed from mastitis to stage 4 breast cancer with metastases.

On Instagram, the actress showed her frustration over the situation. "What kind of sick purveyor of my fate gave me the gift to bring life into this world only to try and take mine in it's place?"

Photo: Instagram - @marnschupip4

Marnie's husband Zack Robidas was always there by her side. She pointed it out in each of her posts. "Zack and I vacillate between utter devastation and fierce determination," she told her followers on Instagram. "The narrative of the life we signed on for the day we married will never be the same."

In fact, the tragic diagnosis came a few days before her 36th birthday, back in 2020. It was a tough time to celebrate.

Photo: Instagram - @marnschupip4

"How does one celebrate a birthday after a Stage Four Breast Cancer Diagnosis in the middle of a global pandemic while raising a 5-month-old?," she lamented on social media.

Photo: Instagram - @marnschupip4

Among all this accumulation of misfortunes, Marnie Schulenburg also had the wonderful experience of a loving family and the solidarity of friends, fans and anonymous people who helped her with the hospital bills.

Her relatives launched a GoFundMe campaign to obtain $75,000 to pay for hospital expenses.

Photo: GoFundMe

Created on May 21, 2020, the day of Marnie Schulenburg's 36th birthday, the goal was reached in October 2020, with $75,050.

Photo: Instagram - @marnschupip4

Marnie Schulenburg's last post, shared on Instagram on May 8, 2022, served for the actress to celebrate Mother's Day with her own mother and daughter Coda.

Photo: Instagram - @marnschupip4

"Here’s to remembering that nothing is permanent," she said in the post. "To soaking up the imperfections and that the best thing you can do for your child is make them feel loved, safe and supported just like my mother did for me. Scr** the oxygen mask, just remember how to breathe."