Single Mom, Who Raised More Than $350K for Her Own Funeral and Kids, Dies After Terminal Cancer Diagnosis

A single mother from Oklahoma has died just weeks after raising more than $350,000 to help support her children and cover end-of-life expenses following a terminal cancer diagnosis.

On Jan. 2, Kaylin Gawf — a mother to Jace, 10, and Memphis, 6 — created a GoFundMe while receiving hospice care. In her post, she said she had been fighting metastatic breast cancer that had spread to her brain.

Kaylin, 28, was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in 2022. The disease later metastasized to her lungs, bones, and lymph nodes. In 2023, the cancer spread to her brain, and she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer as well as premeningeal disease (LMD).

“There’s just nothing they could do for her; it spread that much,” her mother, Myra Gawf, told Fox 8 Live in a story published Jan. 11. “They’ve already done five different cycles of chemotherapy, and there’s no more because her body can’t handle it. We thought we’d beat it. Now, we’re planning a funeral. So it’s just heartbreaking.”

After learning she had only weeks to live, Kaylin wrote that her goal was to “provide stability and support for my kids during this incredibly difficult transition” and to ease the pressure on her loved ones.

“This is the hardest thing I have ever faced,” she wrote in the GoFundMe. “My biggest fear isn’t dying; it’s leaving my children behind with added pain, stress and financial burden to my family when I’m gone.”

In less than a month, Kaylin raised more than $350,000. In an update, she said she was “spending precious time” with her children while staying in a hospice care facility.

“The support from all of you has lifted a huge burden off our shoulders and made things more manageable for my family,” she wrote in the GoFundMe on Jan. 15. “Your kindness is making a world of difference for my kids and for us during this incredibly challenging time. I am forever grateful.”

According to her obituary, Kaylin passed away the following day, “peacefully,” surrounded by family and loved ones.

“She was a woman of rare authenticity who never held back — always honest about her feelings and fiercely protective of her circle,” the obituary said. “Famously ‘sassy and sweet,’ Kaylin lit up every room, taking great pride in her signature blonde hair and impeccable makeup.”

She was remembered as “a devoted mother, a loving daughter, a beloved sister and aunt, and a loyal friend who loved with everything she had.”