Maryland mother of 5 with cancer passes away

9 hours ago 3

According to family, on Friday afternoon Kourtni Smith passed away in hospice surrounded by family in Virginia.

VIRGINIA, USA — In November of 2023, we introduced you to Kourtni Smith. A Maryland mother of five with terminal cancer.

According to family, on Friday afternoon Smith passed away in hospice surrounded by family in Virginia. Smith was diagnosed with Stage 3 invasive lobular carcinoma in 2021. By April 2021, she reached stage 4.

Doctors told Smith that the cancer had spread to her brain and she only had a few months to live. With that in mind, she went on a quest to prepare her family for what was to come.

At the time, her youngest child was just two years old. So Smith began working on a children's book to leave behind for her son.

Smith underwent three rounds of chemo, radiation and spent three weeks in hospice. Doctors did not believe she would live to see the end of the year. So the community stepped up to help cover any costs incurred.

Roger J Mason Funeral in Northwest, D.C., offered to cover all of Smith's funeral costs after seeing our reporting. We reached out to the owner to see if Smith's family decided to take their offer. Christina Mason, the owner, told WUSA9 she spoke to the family about covering expenses, but it is unclear what Smith's family will do for funeral arrangements at this time.

We reached out to Smith's family and they say, they have not flushed out all of the final details for Smith's funeral.

In addition to the community's help, Smith started a GoFundMe account to help with funeral costs and family care following her death. By Thanksgiving 2023, the account amassed over $100K.

Despite the odds, Smith fought to stay alive for her children. She made it to Christmas, despite doctor's diagnoses, to celebrate, the Smith family took one last vacation to Disney World.