Maryland mom of five, 34, who was too scared to go to the doctor learns she has just five weeks to live after being diagnosed with aggressive cancer
A Maryland mother of five has learned she has just five weeks to live after a heartbreaking cancer diagnosis.
Kourtni Smith, 34, from St Mary’s County, was diagnosed with stage 4 invasive lobular carcinoma in April.
But just four weeks ago she was told she only had about two months to live.
She said it took her so long to see a doctor out of fear. During her most recent visit, doctors told her the cancer had spread to her brain.
The news has prompted Smith to focus on making memories with her family in the time she has left.
Reflective to WUSA9She said she hopes her story can serve as a warning to others who may be too afraid to go to the doctor.
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Kourtni Smith, a 34-year-old mother of five from St Mary’s County, was diagnosed with stage 4 invasive lobular carcinoma in April, but just four weeks ago she was told she has months to live.
She leaves behind her husband and five children, ages 16, 14, 12, 9 and 2, but hopes to make some new memories in the meantime
She also admitted that her body could no longer handle the chemo treatments, meaning her fate is certainly sealed
“I feel like I can save someone’s life now,” she told the network from the hospice on Saturday about how she may have missed healing after avoiding a visit when she noticed a lump in her breast.
“Here I am, 34, and I’m dying because I was afraid to go to the doctor.”
Smith’s battle with cancer began in 2021, when she was diagnosed with stage 3 of the disease, which if caught early can be cured.
She said she first became suspicious much earlier afterward and noticed the dimple in her chest. However, fear kept her from having it examined.
Some time afterward, she could no longer produce milk for her newborn baby, which caused even more fears.
Those concerns prompted her to finally go to the doctor, she told WUSA — and that’s where she learned she had cancer that starts in the breast’s milk-producing gland.
At first she said she didn’t believe it.
“I ask them questions like, ‘Could it be this, things I read about online?’ she told the outlet, sitting next to her husband Andre as the tubes ran down her sides.
“They said, ‘No, it’s cancer.’
“I feel like I can save someone’s life now,” she told the network from the hospice on Saturday about how she may have missed healing after avoiding a doctor’s visit despite noticing a lump in her breast. ‘Here I am, 34, and I’m dying because I was afraid to go to the doctor’
“Our 2-year-old son (their youngest), he always makes us laugh,” Andre said, as his wife burst into tears next to him. ‘So it is really the children who keep an eye on us’
As for Smith, she has spent the past few weeks in hospice care, where she said doctors are keeping her comfortable with pain medication.
By April it had reached stage 4, which has an average five-year survival rate of about 6 percent.
Still hopeful, she underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation to eradicate the disease, but three months ago she received the news that it was all for naught.
She has since been transferred to a hospice, where she and her husband lamented the reality of their situation on Friday.
“Our 2-year-old son (their youngest), he always makes us laugh,” Andre said, as his wife burst into tears next to him.
“So it’s really the children who keep an eye on us.”
As for Smith, she has spent the past few weeks in hospice care, where she said doctors are keeping her comfortable with pain medication.
She leaves behind her husband and five children, ages 16, 14, 12, 9 and 2, but hopes to make new memories in the meantime.
“I would want them to know that I love them, and that I love them so much,” she told the station.
“That I would take any measures, any drastic measures, to make sure they’re OK. Even beyond the grave.”
The mother said she is also working on a children’s book as a lasting legacy for her five children
“My cancer has spread to my bones and brain, which is causing limited activity for my children,” the mother recently revealed
She said she hopes she can at least make it to December so she can experience another Christmas with her children
She also admitted that her body could no longer handle the chemo treatments, meaning her fate is certainly sealed.
She reflected on this on a GoFundMe she started earlier this month to help with funeral expenses and which has so far raised $72,710 — money that will now be left to her family after a local funeral director said she would cover the costs.
Smith, meanwhile, wrote, “With the unfortunate reality that I don’t have long on this earth. Every day is a mental and physical battle.
‘I have young, sensitive, creative and intelligent children that I want to support through this world. My dream would be to hold their hand and guide them into adulthood, but that dream is slipping away.”
She further revealed: ‘My cancer has spread to my bones and my brain, causing limited activity in my children.’
“As I near the end of the road, my goal is to provide my husband with financial assistance for my funeral expenses as he will be a single father.
“I kindly invite you to show your love and support.”
The mother said she is also working on a children’s book as a keepsake for her five children. She added that she hopes she can at least make it to December so they can share another Christmas.