Chris-Tia Donaldson, the Founder and CEO of Thank God It’s Natural, a hair care line dedicated to textured hair types, has passed away at 42 years old. According to a message posted on Chris-Tia’s Instagram, the lawyer turned beauty executive died on Saturday, November 13. Messages on her feed alluded to Chris-Tia losing her fight with breast cancer. In 2015, Chris-Tia was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 36, and she quickly learned how having money could make the difference between living and dying when it came to affording treatment. She was the author of the book “This is Only a Test: What Breast Cancer Taught Me About Faith, Love, Hair, and Business.”

A two-time breast cancer survivor, Chris-Tia’s greatest impact was her TGIN Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting uninsured women undergoing breast cancer treatment. Through the TGIN Foundation, Chris-Tia also partnered with Lyft providing reliable transportation to breast cancer patients undergoing treatment or receiving COVID-19 vaccinations.

As of January 2021, her line generated nearly $10 million in sales in retailers including Ulta Beauty and Target. In addition to being a successful businesswoman and author, she was an advocate for women experiencing financial difficulties. On Sunday, her niece posted a touching video announcing the news to the TGIN community:

“Good afternoon, Miracle Babes. Some of you know me as Chris-Tia’s niece, Aris. Others of you know me as TGIN’s Human Resources and Finance Manager. It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our Founder and CEO Chris-Tia Donaldson on the evening of Saturday, November 13. TGIN and the TGIN Foundation has lost a leader and a visionary. And the world has lost a selfless and beautiful human being. Chris-Tia lived a life of service and was a force to be reckoned with inside and outside of the beauty community. Through her passion and purpose, she redefined beauty and created a community of women empowerment teaching us the importance of advocating for ourselves, especially our health. The entire TGIN family mourns this tremendous loss. No words can adequately express our sadness of her passing or the love we have for her. She invested in all of us, all of you, and we will forever honor her. We will continue Chris-Tia’s legacy through our dedicated work with TGIN and the TGIN Foundation and the spirit of excellence ensuring we continue to cultivate the community and mission she built with purpose, passion, and love. We appreciate our Miracle Babes for being on this 12-year journey with Thank God It’s Natural and we hope you will be with us for the years to come. Thank you.”

Chris-Tia served on CEW’s Board as of January 2021.