Kathy Taylor Inspired Sarah McLachlan With Her Story, Succumbs To Cancer
Kathy Taylor, the Utah woman who inspired Sarah McLachlan with her story, has passed away after her battle against cancer. Taylor, 34-years-old, died at her home in Bear River surrounded by family and friends. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma when she was 26 weeks pregnant. Taylor fought hard to keep her pregnancy going despite her illness, and on September 11, she gave birth to her son Luke. The baby, who weighed 1 pound and 15 ounces, passed away weeks after his birth.
Kathy Taylor, the inspirational cancer sufferer who inspired @SarahMcLachlan, has passed away. http://t.co/sCs5TNDumK
— billboard (@billboard) January 5, 2015
Taylor’s latest struggle with cancer came after her melanoma was removed by doctors years ago. Back in June, it returned and coincided with her pregnancy. Kathy and Nate Taylor talked about their ordeal on their blog at Kathysmiracle.com.
Kathy’s story reached singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. Taylor recorded a cover of McLachlan’s song “I Will Remember You” with the help of the singer. The song was made available on iTunes, with all the proceeds going to Taylor’s medical expenses. According to reports, various fundraisers managed to raise $70,000.
Kathy posted her final blog entry on Christmas Eve. In the post, she talked about her faith, and how she wanted to spend Christmas with her family. She wrote, “I have to admit it has been extremely hard and I pray constantly for strength to endure cheerfully, to be able to continue to be kind and nurturing to my family till the end and I’ve been praying to not be afraid of what the end will look like.”
Taylor added, “I pray for my husband to be comforted. I know this is hard for him. I still trust that God is completely aware and that everything will happen as it should. I will be grateful to be out of pain and with Heavenly Father and Jesus and hope to be able to offer lots of comfort to my family from the other side. I am so grateful they have so many wonderful people to turn to, a merciful God they can always pray to.”
Brave Mom Who Declined #CancerTreatment to Save Her Baby’s Life Has Died #KathyTaylor… http://t.co/AUeiUQY1BT pic.twitter.com/vKi2QmOiz2
— Trending Cancer News (@cancerolizer) January 2, 2015
In a recent interview with the Standard Examiner, Kathy’s mom, Patricia Tazelaar, opened up about her daughter. “She always wanted to have children and she is a remarkable mother,” she said. “She has the most beautiful singing voice you have ever heard and since she was a little girl she wanted to have a career in singing, but she has always put her family first.”
[Image via YouTube]