Joey Feek Cancer Update: Rory Shares Photos Of Feek Family Celebrating Christmas With Joey

If one thing is certain, it is that Joey Feek had a very Merry Christmas. While most everyone has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, the Feek family is especially thankful that Joey was still here to celebrate with them, something that they were prepared might not happen.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Joey Feek was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer in 2014, three months after welcoming her now 22-month-old daughter Indiana into the world. She later underwent a radical hysterectomy, along with rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Although she appeared to be doing better, and was hopeful that she had beaten cancer, a mid-October scan revealed that her cancer had not only returned, but had spread to other parts of her body, including her colon.

Because Joey’s cancer was aggressively spreading, there was little to nothing left for her doctors to do. Yes, she could continue to pump the chemo and radiation through her body, but it would only buy her time. It was not the cure she had desperately prayed and hoped for. With the help of Rory and her family, Joey made the toughest decision of her life: to say enough is enough and stop treatment.

Since Joey’s cancer diagnosis, her husband and duet partner Rory Feek has been documenting her battle on his blog, This Life I Live. Rory regularly shares posts to update their fans on Joey’s condition as well as their day to day adventures. On Monday, December 28, Rory shared a post titled “a gruffalo christmas,” in which he detailed the Feek’s Christmas celebration and traditions.

Rory started the post by talking about Indiana’s favorite book, The Gruffalo, and how it completely related to this year’s Christmas holiday.

“In the story, a mouse goes for a stroll through the deep dark wood to find a nut, and he comes upon some difficult obstacles that stand in his way. In order to keep going, the mouse ‘makes up’ something called a Gruffalo,” Rory wrote. “The mouse knows it’s not true. But everyone else believes his story. The best part of the book is that in the end, the very thing that he imagined in his head, turns out to be real. And the mouse found a way to be brave through something that should have been very scary.”

After Joey was told her cancer had returned, she returned with her family to her home in hospice care to live out her final days, however many that may be, with her family. Her prognosis wasn’t good, and still isn’t good, but she has never given up hope. Despite Joey’s determination, Rory knew he needed to start preparing himself for the possibility that Joey may not be with them on Christmas.

“In early November, Christmas seemed still so far away. And the prognosis was clear that there was a good chance Joey wasn’t going to be with us then and that this Christmas was going to be a difficult one to get through.

“So like the mouse in Indy’s story, we all began to ‘make up’ our own Gruffalo. Ours was the belief that it was going to be a wonderful, magical Christmas. We didn’t really believe it – down deep inside we knew we knew better – but still we told ourselves and each other that it was going to be great.

“And we trudged on through the deep dark wood.”

Amazingly, Joey was not only alive on Christmas, she was actually doing quite well and was able to spend the holiday with her family, carrying on the Feek’s yearly traditions. With the help of Heidi and Hopie (Rory’s older daughters from his previous marriage), they put up the tree, baked Christmas cookies, read stories in their new pajamas and opened lots of presents on Christmas morning. As Rory put it, it was an “incredible Christmas.”

“And so as the New Year approaches, we will continue to believe and trust that what is waiting on the other side of the deep, dark wood is something even better and more beautiful than our minds can even imagine,” Rory continued.

[Photos via This Life I Live]