Love and light. Rory Feek revealed in a new blog post on Tuesday, January 5, that his wife, Joey, who's currently battling stage IV cervical cancer, had a "heavy" heart over the holidays — but she's now seeing "the light."
The country singer, 49, was transparent in his latest update about his wife and her condition. "The holidays have been a roller-coaster for my bride," Rory wrote in his first post of the New Year. "She’s had some good days, some bad days — some wonderful moments, and some deep pain that the morphine just couldn’t seem to touch. How could it … it wasn’t that kind of pain."
Joey endured a range of emotions as she celebrated Christmas with their 23-month-old daughter, Indiana, and other family members. "Though she managed a smile most of the time, Joey’s heart was heavy and she was feeling some things she hadn’t before," Rory revealed. "A sadness. A fear of the unknown. And even some anger — not at God, just at her situation I suppose. It’s not easy for her to be as excited about what the new year holds in store as it was last year."
But she has since processed these turbulent feelings. "But she says she’s seen the light, and she’s over that now …" Rory noted, sharing a story about Christian contemporary artist Bill Gaither, who's frequently visited Joey as she remains in hospice care in Alexandria, Indiana. (Joey was diagnosed in May 2014, but chose to stop all chemotherapy treatments last October due to its ineffectiveness. Ever since, the couple have opted to share their heartbreaking, yet inspiring, journey with millions of readers, documenting the process via their blog.)
"Bill comes to see Joey just about every day, when he’s not on the road. We’ll get a knock on the door in the morning or early afternoon, and next thing you know Bill will be parked in a chair beside Joey’s bed, telling her jokes and stories about days long-past and he’ll have Joey and all of us laughing and smiling ’til our faces hurt," Rory shared. "I think he just wants to brighten Joey’s day and create as much joy for her as he can. We all do."
"A week or so ago, just before Christmas — on the other side of the pond … we noticed a big fire burning by the gazebo. From Joey’s bedroom window, we could see the beautiful flames dancing across the water. It was magical."
Gaither had orchestrated the moment for Joey, who was struggling during that time with emotional pain. "That’s the thing about someone burning with passion — the whole world can see their light," Rory noted. "They have something that shines so bright inside them, others can’t help but notice it in their eyes and on their faces and in their actions. They use their lives to provide some light in a dark world that can be overwhelming and scary at times. Bill has sure shined his light on us."
Thanking Gaither and his wife, Gloria, for their prayers and support, Rory recalled a story about how their local community held a candlelight prayer vigil for Joey. "Gloria and Bill were one of hundreds who stood out on the street in the rain and lifted Joey up to Lord in prayer," Rory said. "With candles, they all gathered and lit a fire."
He concluded: "I have a feeling will keep burning long after Joey’s gone. After I’m gone."
