New Mom Kortnie Faces Cancer and Surgery

Update: Wow!!! You are all amazing! Thank you to everyone for sharing and donating. I have seen so many shared posts and it is so beyond appreciated! Kortnie has always bragged about how awesome her friends and family are!!!

For those of you that were with us before…. Fuck Cancer.

For those of you that have no idea what is going on….

Short Version: Kortnie was diagnosed and treated for ovarian cancer at the age of 23. She had an ovary removed and went through chemo treatment. She was unsure if she would ever be able to have a baby, but her little miracle arrived 2/2025!!! During her emergency c-section, the doctor took some biopsies of her placenta and a lump on her remaining ovary, and you guessed it, her cancer is back. Now she is facing a full hysterectomy on 5/1/25 and 18 weeks of chemo with her newborn baby, unsure when or how often she will be able to work.

The extended version:

At only 23 years old, Kortnie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She met Dr. Anderson, an oncologist in Eugene who is seriously the most amazing person ever, and he scheduled surgery to remove the massive tumor and her right ovary. She then went through grueling chemo that left her sick and unable to work more days than not.

But Kortnie is strong and has a huge Tribe that loves and supports her, and she made it out the other side (although her hair and one ovary did not)!

Kortnie was told that she may not be able to have children with only one ovary that took a beating during chemo. But, Kortnie is a determined, strong-willed (and strong-headed) person and knew she was meant to be a mom.

Flash forward, Kortnie and Katelyn were working together grooming dogs one morning and Kortnie was sick. She gagged at every smell and whined the whole day! After rolling her eyes more times than should be humanly possible, Katelyn suggested a pregnancy test. Initially, Kortnie was hesitant because all the other times when she had her hopes up, it ended in disappointment, so why even waste a few bucks on another test?

Well, waste a few bucks she did, and that tiny little positive test took her breath away! Then came the anxiety of being pregnant and worrying at every twinge that something was wrong. While still in her first trimester, while on a beach ride on the back of a horse (her happy place) with her nieces, Kortnie knew something was wrong. They loaded up the horses and went straight to the ER. Shortly after, Kortnie learned she had a bleed above her uterus. Doctor’s orders: bed rest, no riding, no lifting, call on your servants (oops, family) to do everything for you for your entire pregnancy!

And that she did! And the time flew by, and Kortnie hated all of it lol. She hated not being able to ride and hated all the aches and pains and scary anxiety from every twinge. But she loved it too (even though she will deny it). She loved every hiccup, kick, belly roll, listening to the heartbeat, and seeing the ultrasounds. Her dream was to be a boy mom, and guess what?! Her dream came true.

Kortnie dreamed and made plans for her future with Luke (and Kenny- dad). She set goals of no epidural and a natural labor and delivery, breastfeeding until he’s 1 year, and getting back in the saddle as soon as possible.

On February 25th (about 5 weeks before her due date), Kortnie laid down for the night and realized she hadn’t felt Luke move much during the day. She called for mom (what else are you supposed to do?) and they poked and prodded and shook her bump to no avail. Kortnie and mom finally decided to head into Labor and Delivery, expecting to be hooked up to monitors, see his little heartbeat, and be told he’s just sleeping and didn’t want to be disturbed! However, that was not the case. Luke’s heart was beating great, but he wasn’t moving and wouldn’t respond to stimulus at all. So, emergency c-section (in the middle of the night because kids don’t care if you are tired or have to work the next day) and Luke was born in the early hours of 2/26/2025. The cord was around his neck and he had a knot in the cord as well. If it wasn’t for those instincts…….. I can’t even put the rest into words.

While the doctor was doing the emergency c-section, they decided to take some biopsies of Kortnie’s uterus. They said they didn’t like how it looked. They told her results would be in soon.

About a week after Luke’s arrival, Kortnie was seeing the doctor and all of her hopes and dreams were squashed with three words…. Your cancer’s back.

She met with the amazing Dr. Anderson and he told her to keep breastfeeding and enjoy a few more weeks with Luke. He scheduled her for more scans and a follow-up appointment. When Kortnie met with him for the follow-up, she was told it doesn’t look good. Dr. Anderson told her to expect to have some kind of cancer removed about every five years and it will continue to come back worse every time. She is scheduled for a full hysterectomy on 5/1/25 followed by 18 weeks of chemo. All while still caring for her newborn.

Kortnie doesn’t just get to settle into life as a new mom with a newborn. She now has to worry about her surgery and subsequent chemo. She has to worry about the sickness, losing her hair, not being able to work to provide for her son, all while fighting through the scary, uncertain future ahead, something no mother should have to think about.

Any amount will help to support Kortnie, Kenny, and Luke. It will support their travels to Eugene for surgery and follow-up appointments, help cover bills, formula, and daily living expenses. If you would like to donate items to help the family or gift cards, please reach out.

Please pray for strength, courage, and guidance as Kortnie and family face these difficult times together. We couldn’t do it without her tribe.