Discovery Channel
‘Alaskan Bush People’ Star Ami Brown Enjoying New Adventures With Her Family After Cancer Battle
What an inspiration! Alaskan Bush People star Ami Brown has come a long way after announcing that she was diagnosed with lung cancer back in 2017. The Discovery Channel alum is currently in remission and she’s set to appear on the upcoming season of the hit reality show, which will premiere on December 4, 2019.
After focusing on her health and well-being, she and her husband, Billy Brown, moved to the Pacific Northwest with their brood. The couple is now making new memories at their permanent homestead, Browntown, located in Washington.
Over the summer, Ami, 56, and Billy, 66, watched their son, Gabriel Brown exchange vows with his wife, Raquell Rose, for a second time and several of their loved ones gathered for the special occasion.
“Ami and I are married 40 years this June and there is truly no better gift than to celebrate their marriage and watch the family grow,” Billy told PEOPLE. “Noah and Gabe have met their matches and everyone has just made us so proud.”
Just a few months prior, it was revealed that Ami is cancer-free after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.
Discovery Channel Executive Vice President Laurie Goldberg previously defended Ami in May 2018, while slamming fans who accused her of faking her cancer battle.
“It is just disgusting that anyone would say her cancer is not real or that it was created for the show,” she told Radar Online. “Ami’s battle with cancer is very real. Her chemo and radiation was tough, but she got through it and is recovering well.”
In a previous interview, Ami opened up about what it was like to receive the results of her scans, revealing that she believed it was about time to get some good news, despite having just a three percent chance of survival.
And she was right. Her cancer — which spread throughout her chest and back — was gone. Of course, the doctors were shocked like she was.
The radiation made it nearly impossible for Ami to eat anything, and she had gotten down to just 77 pounds. Since then, she’s been enjoying chicken, salmon, meatloaf, rice, and enchiladas to get to a healthier weight.
In October 2017, fans were given hope that Ami was feeling better when her daughter, Rain, gave a brief update on her mother’s health. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “My mom and I spent all morning making our favorite peach tea and our own mix of essential oils together (frankincense, eucalyptus, pink grapefruit, and spearmint) with coconut oil as a carrier and a touch of shimmer.”
Rain added, “She is now going through her second round of chemo, sadly I can’t say how she is doing just yet, but we are all hopeful and faithful, thank you all so much for your support and love in this harsh time.”
Ami — whose family relocated from rural Alaska to a mansion in Southern California while she underwent treatment — always remained hopeful. “You go to the chemo room and for radiation and there are faces there that you’ve grown used to seeing and then you go in again and they’re not there and it’s really sad,” she told PEOPLE. “But the caregivers fill those rooms with so much sincere love and hope — and that’s food for the soul. God gave me a great gift in them.”
Ami admitted that she knew something was wrong when she felt pain in her back. She said, “Walking from the house to the garden, I would get winded. There were days I was just bedridden, but I just thought it was my arthritis. We were filming the show and at times it was all I could do to just stand there — I was in so much pain. When we were shooting promo shots I told them, ‘There’s something wrong.’ In December, I went to the dentist to get impressions made for new teeth and when they did a scan they noticed a little capsule. That’s how this all started.”
Although there’s a chance her cancer may return, she’s not letting that possibility get her down. “I have to go in every three months now for the rest of my life and be scanned to see if it’s back or not. It’s going to be a part of my life forever. But I want to encourage people to enjoy every moment and walk every moment with God because he knows what it’s about. Never give up faith.”
The new season of Alaskan Bush People premieres on December 4 at 8 p.m. ET.
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