As someone who was a single mom for years, I know one of the biggest concerns you have is “What will happen to my kids if I die?” When you are the sole provider for your family, it’s something you have to think about, no matter how morbid it may feel because you never know if something is going to happen to you. Sadly, Oklahoma mom Kaylin Gawf is experiencing what every single mom fears: She is dying. Gawf has two young children who will be going through most of their lives without her by their side. Now, she’s doing everything she can to ease them through what is likely going to be the worst part of their lives.
The 28-year-old started a GoFundM account to raise money to not only pay for her own funeral but also to make sure her 9-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son are supported financially. In the fundraiser, she explained that she is receiving hospice care after a years-long battle with metastatic breast cancer that has spread to her brain.
“This is the hardest thing I have ever faced,” she wrote on the page, which has raised more than $340,000 thus far. “My biggest fear isn’t dying; it’s leaving my children behind with added pain, stress, and financial burden to my family when I’m gone.”
She explained that any money not used for her funeral will be put into a trust for her children. “I know I should have taken out life insurance. I truly believed I was going to beat cancer here on this earth,” she wrote.
Gawf added that she “never imagined” she’d hear doctors tell her “There’s nothing more we can do for you.”
A few weeks before Christmas, Kaylin Gawf was told that hospice would be reaching out to her mother, she explained. “My world changed forever in that moment.”
Gawf was initially diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer that then metastasized to her bones, lungs, and lymph nodes. In March 2023, she found out the cancer had spread to her brain. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with two brain cancers, metastatic breast cancer and leptomeningeal disease, which is “very rare,” she explained on the page.
Additionally, Gawf was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease and congestive heart failure. She has undergone two brain surgeries among other treatments.
“I can’t fix this. I have to let her fight this herself, and I can’t take it away from her. It’s hard every day to have to sit and watch her go through that,” her mother, Myra Gawf, told Fox 23. “We thought we’d beat it. Now, we’re planning a funeral. So, it’s just heartbreaking.”
Myra Gawf told the outlet that her daughter’s fundraiser is just another example of her selfless nature. “She still wants to be able to look out for them and try to plan for their future, and I thought it was nice that she actually did that.”
But for the mom, watching her daughter push through treatment has been inspirational for the family.
“If she doesn’t complain for what she’s going through, what do we have to complain about? She inspires us all to do that, especially me. She’s my little hero is what she is,” Myra Gawf shared.
