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A young single mom from Oklahoma is planning her own funeral — and Raising funds to cover expenses and help support her children — after a late-stage cancer diagnosis.
Kaylin Gawf, a 28-year-old mother of 9-year-old daughter Jace and 6-year-old son Memphis, Launched a GoFundMe Her funeral and end-of-life expenses followed a three-year battle with metastatic breast cancer that had spread to her brain.
“This is the hardest thing I have ever faced. My greatest fear is not death; it is that when I am gone, my children will be left behind, causing more pain, stress and financial burden on my family,” Goff wrote in the fundraiser.
The mother of two was first diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer, which tests positive for a protein that promotes cancer cell growth, according to the cancer center. Mayo Clinic.
The cancer metastasized to Goff’s lungs, bones and lymph nodes. By 2023, it had reached her brain, and she was diagnosed with two different types of brain cancer, metastatic breast cancer and leptomeningeal disease, which occurs when advanced cancer spreads into the cerebrospinal fluid and leptomeninges, or the thin layers of tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord. Cleveland Clinic.
During the trip, Goff was also diagnosed with Cushing’s disease, a hormonal disorder caused by too much cortisol or taking corticosteroid medications, According to the Mayo Clinic.
The Cushing’s disease diagnosis resulted in Gawf gaining 70 pounds, congestive heart failure, two brain surgeries and other serious complications, she wrote in the fundraiser.
She noted that she “should have purchased life insurance,” but that she “really believed I could beat cancer on this earth.”
“I never thought I would hear the words: ‘There’s nothing we can do.'” Just weeks before Christmas, I was told hospice would call me and my mom to make arrangements,” she wrote.
“My world changed forever at that moment. My heart breaks for my children and my family,” Goff continued.
“I’m not ready to leave them yet, but I want to do whatever I can to protect them and make their future better, even if I’m no longer here,” Goff wrote.
The fundraiser has received more than $310,000 in donations as of Monday afternoon, and Gawf’s mother, Myra Gawf, was interviewed after it went viral angle About how a late diagnosis affects their family.
“I can’t fix this. I have to let her fight this on her own and I can’t take it away from here. It’s hard to sit back and watch her go through this every day,” Myra Goff said.
“They can’t do anything for her; the virus has spread so much. They’ve done five different cycles of chemotherapy, but there’s no more because her body can’t handle it,” she continued. “We thought we were going to beat it. Now, we’re planning a funeral. So, it’s just heartbreaking.”
The heartbroken mother praised her daughter’s determination to continue raising her children even after her death.
“She still wanted to be able to take care of them and try to plan for their future, and I think it’s great that she really did that,” Myra Goff said.
“If she doesn’t complain about what she’s been through, what do we have to complain about? [about]? She inspired us all to do the same, especially me. She’s my little hero, that’s who she is. ”