A year ago today, Matthew Espinosa lost his half-sister Melanie Nocera to breast cancer. She was 43 years old. Though he's known for his upbeat personality, Matt got real and bravely opened up to the world in a super vulnerable time. To publicly honor her passing, the Internet star took to Twitter to express his feelings to his fans.

Matthew's positivity and heartfelt love are so touching, and his strength is absolutely undeniable. We have so much respect for the actor's honesty and openness with his fanbase. Based off of Matthew's sweet messages, we have no doubt that we would have loved Melanie too. It's clear that she had a huge impact on the YouTube and Vine star's life, and her legacy will never be forgotten.

Matt has posted about Melanie on a ton of other occasions, whether it's been to express his love for her always or to thank her for being such an inspiration in his life. On the day that he lost Melanie, Matthew expressed his anger that her life was taken way too soon.

But Matthew got stronger with each passing day. After half a year flew by, it seemed like the web star really internalized all that he's learned through his suffering. Matthew has witnessed just how short life can be firsthand, so he's determined to make the most of his time on this planet. He shared with the Twitterverse that "knowing life can just end at any moment really makes you cherish each moment."

Stay strong, Matthew! Your fans are always here for you.

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