If you’ve been keeping up with Mackenzie McKee, then you’ve certainly also been keeping up with her mother, Angie Douthit.
And if you’ve been keeping up with Angie, then you know that things look pretty bleak these days.
She was diagnosed with cancer less than two years ago, and already her doctors have given her just six months to live.
But she just shared a little update with us all — and thankfully, it’s a bit of good news.
The Beginning
All the way back at the beginning of 2018, Angie went to see her doctor because she thought she’d developed bronchitis only to learn that what she actually had was lung cancer.
The Diagnosis
And right after that, she learned that the cancer was in her brain as well — it was very, very bad.
Totally Fair
Angie and her family were shocked at the news because she’d always been extremely healthy — she never smoked or drank, and she regularly ran marathons.
Ugh
But cancer is a total bitch who doesn’t care about anyone, so yeah, it happened anyway. Angie was told the cancer was in stage four, the final stage, and she started treatment.
Worse News
A few months later, the family revealed that the cancer had made its way to her bones, too, and after that, doctors told her that she’d also developed a second, much more aggressive type of lung cancer.
Even WORSE News
Last fall she was able to quit getting IV chemo treatments, but she did have to back on them in May when, as she put it, the disease had “gone wild.”
Heartbreaking
We believe this was when Mackenzie’s emotional Teen Mom OG season finale scenes were filmed — in one of those, we see Angie telling the family that “they told me that it’s in both femurs; it’s in my breast bone; it’s in my hip bones; this backbone that’s attached to your hip bone, it’s back there; it’s half of my liver. It’s in the lymph nodes of my colon and the lymph nodes in my lungs. I have another tumor in my head.”
Oh No
Even worse, Angie said that her doctors had told her that, considering everything, “six months would be really, really pushing it.”
Giving Up?
“The doctors know they can’t do anything about this, really,” she added.
Unimaginable
The news was clearly devastating for Mackenzie and her children, who seemed very attached to their grandmother.
Nope, Too Much
Angie feels the same way, naturally — in another scene, we saw her say that her biggest fear in all of this is that her grandchildren “won’t remember” her, and she told her own children “I hope I’ve been a good mom and a good nanny. And I hope you guys will tell your kids about me all the time.”
What a Tragedy
All of this is really just insanely sad, but it gets worse when you consider the timeline — if Angie told her family in May that her doctors told her that she only had six months left to live at the very most, then that means she’s already gone on for three more months.
Poor Mackenzie
And last week, Mackenzie and Angie gave us an update that made it seem like things had taken a definite turn for the worse.
The Update
“We just got the news yesterday that her blood counts are too low to continue with chemo,” she said in a statement. “There has been no miracle, but she is still with us.”
The Details
For her part, Angie explained the situation more thoroughly over on her Instagram page. Apparently she goes in for IV chemo every Monday, but before it’s administered, her blood count is checked. For the past couple of weeks, her blood count has been too low to get the chemo.
Trucking Along
Last week, it was actually low enough that instead of just going home, she was sent to an infusion lab to get more blood.
What Next?
“God knows if I’ll ever need chemo again,” she admitted. “I refuse to stress knowing God is in control.”
And Now?
That was last Monday, so did a miracle happen before this Monday?
Hooray!
A little one, yes!
Good News
In another Instagram post, Angie wrote “Yes, my blood counts were good and I was able to receive chemo.! YAY Jesus!!!”
More Details
“They gave me steroids and Benadryl,” she continued. “I know that sounds crazy but they always do it. So I sleep through chemo then wake up ready to conquer the world.”
Celebrating!
“We were all praising God that my blood counts were up!” she said.
Still Faithful
“On the way home the Western sky lit up with beauty and splendor. It reminded me that God almighty’s love forever shines on his children.”
Moving Forward
It’s great news that she’s able to get chemo again, but unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that she’s going to be cured. She may get some more time, but as her doctors have said, things aren’t exactly looking great for her.
What a Lady
We’re just happy that despite everything that’s been thrown at her, she’s still got a smile on her face and hope in her heart. And isn’t that something special?