Joey Feek Cancer Update: Rory Says His Wife Is Beautiful As Ever, ‘Cancer Can’t Take That Away From Her’

Rory Feek’s love for his wife and duet partner, Joey Feek, is seemingly unconditional. Their love has lasted through both the good and the bad, and continues to grow despite Joey being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Joey Feek was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer last year, three months after giving birth to her daughter, Indiana (Indy). She later underwent a radical hysterectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. It seemed as though she had beaten cancer, and she appeared to be doing much better. However, in mid-October, Joey’s doctors made a grim discovery. Not only had Joey’s cancer returned, it had also started ravaging throughout her body and spread to her colon. Because there was nothing left for doctors to do, Joey made the heart-wrenching decision, with the help of Rory and her family, to stop treatment. Rather than undergo more rounds of chemo and radiation, Joey, Rory and Indiana returned to their home, where Joey has since been in the care of hospice, surrounded by her family.

Since Joey’s cancer diagnosis, Rory Feek has been documenting her battle on his blog, This Life I Live. Most recently, he shared a post titled “a gift” in which he describes his wife’s strength to live, and her most recent triumph. Over the past few weeks, Joey has become so weak that she was forced to be confined to her bed. Although Indiana could climb onto Joey’s lap to share a bedtime story or a special laugh with her mother, Joey hadn’t been able to get out of bed to play with her daughter like most mothers can. On Friday, however, Joey was strong enough to not only get out of her hospice bed, but walk from her bedroom to the living room to spend time with her family. Rory shared a video of the touching moment with their fans.

Joey and Indy in the living room from Hickory Films on Vimeo.

“We had some friends and family here at the house with us, and when the door to her bedroom opened up and she came out in the living room, we almost couldn’t believe our eyes,” Rory wrote. “We were all so proud of her, but I think Joey was even more proud of herself.”

What happened next was perhaps even more moving. Joey slid from the couch to the floor so she could play with her daughter. In the video, Joey can be seen sitting with Indiana, teaching her sign language. Rory said she was doing what she had been longing to do for months: being a “mama again.”

Rory then reflected on his wife over the years. Although the cancer has taken a toll on Joey, making her body frame thinner and leaving her without any hair, Rory insisted she was as beautiful as ever. He recalled a video they made a few years ago, and said she looked the same to him now as she did back then.

The Gift from Hickory Films on Vimeo.

“Looking at the video clips of Joey walking into the living room and playing with Indy made me think of another time and another gift a few years ago,” he continued. “This one was a song called The Gift that we recorded on our Christmas record in 2011. And I found myself looking at the ‘Joey’ in the video we made back then, and the ‘Joey’ in the video today.”

“She might look different to you. But not to me.

“Yes, she’s a few years older and the chemo and radiation have taken their toll on her physical body. But the same joy in her spirit and the same beautiful smile is still there, shining through.

“Cancer can’t take that away from her.”

[Photo via This Life I Live]