How did Stacey Park Milbern die?

Stacey Park Milbern passed away on May 19 2020 following a surgery complication to treat kidney cancer. The cancer was spreading quickly, but her surgery was postponed after the country issued a stay-at-home order. After three months, she was able to have the operation, but she died on her thirty-third birthday due to complications.

Stacey Park Milbern was a disability rights activist. Stacey Park Milbern was born with the condition known as congenital muscular dystrophy. It refers to a category of muscle dystrophies that manifest either during or shortly after birth.

At the age of 16, she began working in disability rights leadership roles. She went on to form the North Carolina Kids Leadership Forum and the Disabled Young People’s Collective, both of which aimed to enable disabled kids to engage in advocacy and leadership.

Despite her condition, she continued to be an activist and help those in need. For example, when the coronavirus epidemic broke out in early 2020, she collaborated with the Disability Justice Culture Club from her Oakland home to give homemade disease-prevention kits to homeless people.