She’s the one holding me up.
So Billy Brown tells People Magazine about his wife in the Alaskan Bush People star’s first major interview since Ami Brown was diagnosed late last year with lung cancer.
The diagnosis and Brown’s subsequent treatment has been the main storyline on Season 7 of this Discovery channel series, which has focused on the family leaving Alaska for California.
Ami has been receiving treatment there, while her spouse and husband are expected to settle in Colorado later this year.
After Ami spoke to People about remaining strong in the face of this awful disease, Billy sat down and did the same.
We can’t imagine what he and his seven children are going through and we’ll continue to keep them in our thoughts.
Scroll down, meanwhile, for excerpts from Brown’s Q&A with the aforementioned publication…
On watching his wife suffer: “She’s the strongest person I know, so if she’s saying it hurts, it really hurts. She tries to hide it from everybody but four or five times a day she bends over like a baby and cries.
“She bends over and tears run down.
She put out seven babies without a grunt. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Ami, but I’ve got a lot more now. She makes me feel like a wuss.”
How bad is the cancer? “At least [stage] 3B… We know if it’s in the brain, it’s over. And if it’s in the stomach, that’s bad but this cancer can be right where it is and go anywhere.
“It can go to the brain. It hasn’t traveled to any other organs, but that’s what they’re saying is next. Any time we talk to anybody, it’s bad news.”
The Browns rose to fame due to their remote style of living in Alaska.
But they’ve left their beloved “Browntown” behind.
Ami learned of her cancer in December and lost a significant amount of weight in the months since.
The family was therefore forced to relocate in order to find her the best care.
What was it like to leave Alaska behind? “It wasn’t like it came out of nowhere. We’ve always told the kids they don’t have to follow our lives. We moved out there because we wanted to.
“They just came along and we have been so proud that they wanted to stay with us as long as they did out there but it was time. We had to make this move to do what’s best for Ami.”
Will he miss the freedom of living way out in Alaska? “Freedom is having a family so strong and so with you that you can get through anything. Freedom is being with your family. I can’t lose that. I can’t live without her. I can’t lose her.
“I just pray every day that we’ll get good news.”
How are the kids handling everything? “Some of them don’t want to admit that she’s so bad. They’re all trying to get through it as best they can but no one knows what to do. I do what I can.
“This is really hard but this is also the strongest our faith has ever been. Our faith is giving us hope.”
The two-hour season finale of Alaskan Bush People airs next Wednesday at 9/8c on Discovery.
Fans expect the network to announce Season 8, although some take major issue with the changes that may be on hand for it.
We don’t much care about those at the moment.
We just hope for the very best for Ami and her loved ones.