Joey and Rory singer Joey Feek has reportedly been in a “deep sleep” for days, and hospice caregivers told Rory Feek she likely won’t live more than a few days at most.
'One last kiss': Joey Feek says goodbye to family as nurses say she has days left to live https://t.co/WMysARl0T0 pic.twitter.com/7vhygTtNfM
— People Magazine (@people) March 1, 2016
Best known as the country/bluegrass duo Joey + Rory, Joey was diagnosed with cancer back in 2014. She stopped treatments this past fall, and has slowly wasted away since then.
Although Joey’s body has failed her in recent weeks, her heart and mind stayed sharp until she fell into a deep sleep a few days ago.
Rory Feek writes about these latest developments in his blog, This Life I Live, where he has kept Joey + Rory fans abreast of Joey’s health for months.
Joey Feek is in a deep sleep—singer is down to her last days after battling terminal cancer https://t.co/0w0ptbl21W pic.twitter.com/ngXJnV2fe1
— People Magazine (@people) March 1, 2016
“Joey has done all she set out to do… even right to the very end, and by sheer will-power (and God’s grace), she was still here to to see our baby’s 2nd birthday. Over the last number of weeks her pain had gotten worse and her health had continued to decline rapidly. And not long after Indy’s birthday my wife decided that ‘enough is enough’. She was ready to stop fighting and she told me so. She said the flowers would soon be blooming back in Tennessee. It’s time to go home,” Rory posted on February 29.
“Joey gathered her family together around her and she said goodbye to each of them… to her mother and father and her three sisters. There were lots of tears as she explained to each one how much she loved them and that she was going to be going home soon. That her time here was done and she was going to go to sleep soon. And then she asked me to bring our baby in. And so… I set our little Indy on Joey’s lap and we all cried with my wife as she told her how much her mama loved her and, ‘…you be a big girl for your papa… and that mama will be watching over you.’ And then she pulled Indiana up and she kissed her,” he added. “One last kiss.”
Rory went on to write that his better half–one-half of Joey + Rory–is truly near the end.
“My wife has been asleep for days now and her body is shutting down quickly. The hospice nurse came again this morning and said Joey will most-likely only be with us for a few more days… at the most,” he wrote.
“A few more days…In the 40 short years that Joey has lived, my bride has accomplished many great things…she’s lived a very full life. But even more than that, she has loved those around her greatly and been loved greatly in return. I can honestly say that Joey’s isn’t just a life well-lived, it’s a life well-loved,” Rory penned.
“God only gives each of us a certain amount of time to be on this earth and every day when we wake up, we get to decide how we are going to spend those precious minutes and hours. There are no do-overs, no second-chances, no next-time-around’s to get it right. Joey knew this and she has made each and every day count. One of the last things Joey said before she drifted into the deep sleep she’s been in for a few days now is, ‘I have no regrets… I can honestly say, that I have done everything I wanted to do and lived the life I always wanted to live,'” Rory added.
Joey Feek calls their 'Hymns' 'God's record': https://t.co/ieurYV3yhl pic.twitter.com/pIMXo1C0RD
— Taste of Country (@TasteOfCountry) March 1, 2016
Joey Feek reached some milestones in recent weeks, most of which no one believed she’d live to see. She lived to see the release of the new Joey + Rory album, and she learned it hit number one on the Billboard Country charts. She lived to see a Joey + Rory song announced as a nominee on the Grammy Awards. She spent one last romantic Valentine’s Day with Rory. And she lived to see their sweet little girl, Indiana Feek, turn two years old.
Joey, as Rory wrote, is tired. She’s fought the good fight and she doesn’t want to fight any more. She believes strongly she will soon be in her savior’s arms in Heaven. That faith is what will help keep Rory strong in the dark days ahead.
Joey and Rory asked to have a very special song added to their latest album, “Hymns That Are Important to Us,” before it was released. That song, “When I’m Gone,” will soon hold very special meaning for Rory Feek.