Mackenzie McKee is really going through a difficult time right now.
For one, her marriage is falling apart.
It’s still not clear whether she’s completely done with her husband or if they’re separating while they consider everything, but she’s calling herself a single mom now, so it doesn’t sound great.
But on top of that, her mother, Angie, has been battling cancer for nearly two years now.
And with this new update, it sounds like she may not have too much time left with her …
The Diagnosis
At the beginning of 2018, Mackenzie revealed some devastating news about her family: her mother, Angie Douthit, had been diagnosed with cancer.
The Explanation
“What we thought was bronchitis turned out to be 3 masses on her brain, 1 large imone in her lungs and multiple blood clots,” she explained in a tweet. “We are in shock and devastated. She has brain surgery tomorrow. I’m sick. I’m so sick and want to wake up from this nightmare.”
Getting Worse
Angie did not end up having the surgery, as her medical team determined there was too much cancer to remove in a single procedure. Doctors eventually found more lesions in her brain and more masses in her lungs.
Unimaginable
Her official diagnosis was stage four lung cancer, which metastasized to her brain and has now spread to several other areas of the body.
F–k Cancer
Angie was diagnosed with two types of lung cancer, one of which was extremely aggressive and spread throughout her body with shocking rapidity.
More Medicine
Up until that point, she’d been taking a chemo pill, but after that her doctors added in IV chemo as well.
The Prognosis
Angie learned about the second lung cancer in June of 2018, and she said then that her doctors had told her that when people get both, they typically only live an additional 12-18 months with treatment.
Some Good News?
That fall, the family got some really great news — she was done with IV chemo and would only have to take the pill.
Oh No
But in May, the cancer came back with a vengeance — or, as she put it, it had “gone wild.” Not only did she have new tumors in her brain and lungs, but the old ones had grown, and the cancer had spread to her liver and lymph nodes, and to more bones.
Even More Medicine
That meant she had to get back on the IV chemo, and thanks to Mackenzie’s episodes of Teen Mom OG, we think we have a clearer picture of the timeline here.
Interesting
In this week’s episode, we saw Angie tell her children “I wanted to tell you I was better. But 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.â€Â
What an Update
This is pretty much the same update that she gave in May, which is important, because she also told her kids that her doctor told her “six months would be really, really pushing it. The doctors know they can’t do anything about this, really.â€Â
Too Sad
Giving someone a certain number of months to live is never an exact science, of course, but if her doctor was correct, that means that Angie has another three months, at most.
Poor Everyone
And as we saw on the show, that was some devastating news.
Ouch
In one scene that was really just brutal, Angie said that the hardest part of this whole awful thing was knowing that her grandchildren “won’t remember” her when she’s gone.
Seriously, Too Sad
“Well, I hope I’ve been a good mom and a good nanny,†she said. “And I hope you guys will tell your kids about me all the time.â€Â
Poor Gannon
But remember, Mackenzie got pregnant at 16, and her oldest son is seven, so he’ll definitely remember Angie — we saw Mackenzie tell him and her other two children about what was happening with their grandmother, and he took the news pretty bad.
So Unfair
In a new interview with Radar Online, Mackenzie touched on this, saying “Everyday is a new day with Gannon. He always wants to be with her. She lives down the road from my new home so sometimes he escapes to go sit with her.â€Â
More News …
In the same interview, Mackenzie gave an update on her mother … but it’s not the good news everyone was hoping for.
No More Chemo?
“We just got the news yesterday that her blood counts are too low to continue with chemo,†she said.
Miracle, Please
“There has been no miracle, but she is still with us.â€Â
More Information
Over on her Instagram page, Angie took some time to explain exactly what this means, saying “I did not get chemo yesterday. My blood counts were worse than they were two weeks ago. Therefore, I was sent to the infusion lab to get 2 units of blood.”
So Much Optimism
She said that she’d go back again next Monday to get her blood count checked again in hopes of being able to continue treatment, but in the meantime, “I’m not upset. I see it as a way for me to be chemo free for three weeks. If you’ve ever had low blood counts you u understand how yucky u feel. I’m ready to be energized again.”
All Done with Chemo?
“God knows if I’ll ever need chemo again,” she wrote. “I refuse to stress knowing God is in control.”
How Awful
At this point, it seems like all anyone can do is hope that Angie is happy and comfortable and surrounded by love. What a tragedy.
The Hardest Times
The news of Angie’s turn for the worse comes just as Mackenzie announced the end of her marriage to Josh McKee.
A Messy Split
Mackenzie took to social media to describe Josh as “a horrible person” after he was accused of making out with a woman in a Texas bar.
Hoping For the Best
Ever the optimist, Angie stuck up for her son-in-law this week and expressed her hope that Josh and Mackenzie will work things out.
She Has a Point …
“The accusers have no pics or videos,” Angie told The Ashley’s Reality Roundup.
Very True
“If you saw a celeb cheating, you would take all kinds of photos. They’d be all over social media,†she added. “I told Mackenzie that she needs to always investigate before she pounces.”
The Problem Solver
“Any time you are on TV attention-seekers will try to cause problems. It’s sad,†Angie went on. “[Their split] is temporary. They’re trying to figure it all out.â€Â
The Peacemaker
Yes, Angie might not live to see the new year, but she’s still working hard to make life better for her family. A fine woman who will be sorely missed by many.