My Tribe

As thankful as I was for my mom getting me safely back to Dallas, I was even more thankful for the friends and family who showed up to finish packing my house. That week, Jerry and I were supposed to drive a moving truck back to Bethesda. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Instead, I had to cancel the truck and make a quick decision: where in the heck was I going to live?

Brooke was already moving into Jerry’s house (her bonus dad), so we made room for one more—me.

Coming Home

Jerry gave me his room and bathroom so I could rest and recover in peace. My things were moved last minute into his garage and other corners of the house. I was so lucky to have that option, and I’ll be forever grateful for Jerry Cotton.

For those of you who know our story, Jerry and I married in 2004 and amicably uncoupled in 2015. We remained very good friends and raised the bar on co-parenting. Over the last five years, our family grew even closer. So when Jerry looked at me and said, “You’re going to need a good insurance policy to get through this,” I replied, “Well, that means marriage.”

So here we are—married twice, and this time for good. I love that we’re all back under one roof, closer than ever. I don’t know what I would do without Jerry. He is my main caretaker, and I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done for me and for our family.

The Caretaker’s Burden

It’s not easy being the caretaker. It takes so much out of a person, and I see it. It’s not always pretty—cleaning up vomiting, diarrhea, washing clothes, scrubbing bathrooms. All the little things add up. And yet, through it all, I’ve had a tribe carrying me through this journey.

My Tribe Showed Up

I could easily list 100 names, but please know how deeply grateful I am for the visits, the text messages, the gifts, the cards, and the phone calls. You have no idea how much they mean to me.

I was overwhelmed when friends showed up—no questions asked. I was speechless and in tears. My Latin dance crew even set up meal deliveries, and we had food for weeks. Again, so much gratitude.

Knowing that my tribe is walking this fight with me means everything. My mom, my sister, my best friends, and so many others are praying over me. THANK YOU. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Care Beyond Home

The nurses I’ve met and the care I’ve received at UT Southwestern are incredible. Their compassion is above and beyond, and I feel so lucky to be in their hands.

Now that I’m settled at Jerry’s, we’ve found our “new normal.” I’ll share more about what that looks like in the next post.

Coming Next

In my next blog post, I’ll talk about PICC lines, mediports, and chemo—the process, the after-effects, and everything in between.

Reflection

If there’s one thing this chapter has shown me, it’s that we’re not meant to do hard things alone. Illness strips away any illusion of independence and reminds us of the power of community. My tribe has carried me when I couldn’t carry myself, and that’s a gift I’ll never take for granted. Whatever your “hard thing” looks like, I hope you let people in—you may find your tribe is closer and stronger than you realize.

With gratitude for this journey,
KC