Jill Duggar Dillard's friend Heather Schisler had been enjoying a blessed life. Already the mother of three, she had recently given birth to baby Breelyn after almost giving up hope of adding to her family (her pregnancy had come a full two years after she miscarried in 2020). "[W]hile we were content being a family of 5, we also all longed and hoped that God would give us just one more baby to love!" Schisler wrote in her pregnancy announcement. Just nine months later, she posted the heartbreaking news that she had been diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Her doctors were still trying to determine the origin of the disease, but it had already spread to her liver and lungs, making it a Stage 4 disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, metastatic cancer cannot be cured, but depending on the type and its response to treatment, patients can live for months or even years.
Schisler received plenty of support from loved ones; just days after she announced her news, she posted footage of a crowd who had gathered outside her home to pray and sing. Dillard commented, "We were so sad to miss but love y'all so much and know we are praying!" The love and prayers sustained Schisler's spirit, but not her body: Just three months after her diagnosis, she died. She leaves behind her devastated family, including a baby who will never know her mother. Dillard's memorial post included the simple angry message: "I hate cancer."
