If your dying best friend, who has six children, asked you to take care of her kids, what would you say? For a mom from Virginia, who is already raising three children of her own, the answer was a no-brainer. She's now taking care of nine kids between the ages of 2 to 15. She knew her best friend's children needed her after the death of their mom.
Stephanie Culley and Beth Laitkep have known each other since high school in Virginia, but marriages, jobs and moves to different states have kept their friendship long distance. In 2014, Beth Laitkep learned she had breast cancer, while she was pregnant with her youngest. She sought aggressive treatments after an emergency birth.
By June 2015, Beth Laitkep moved back home with just her children after her marriage fell apart. It was then she learned that her cancer had returned. While getting more treatments, Stephanie Culley served as her anchor and support, and their reconnection grew stronger.
But Beth's cancer was spreading to her legs, brain and spine. The doctors advised the two women that "nothing could be done," per Washington Post. As Beth's condition turned for the worse, she decided to talk to Stephanie about taking in her kids: Will, Selena, Jaxon, Dallas, Lily and Ace. Beth also asked her children who they would want to take care of them when she's gone. They all chose their mom's best friend.
Stephanie Culley sought her husband's advise before making the decision. But she already knew that it was a decision she was quite certain of. "I had complete peace that I was going to be the mother of 9 kids," she said per Fox 13 Memphis.
On May 19, Beth Laitkep succumbs to breast cancer at the age of 39 and Stephanie Culley immediately took temporary custody of her children. Per Your Gazette Virginian, the custody will be finalized July 19 in the courts, but the expanded family has been living together and getting used to each other since Beth's death.
However, with a total of 11 family members, the Culley household is still trying to manage the major changes. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family build their new life together, with most of the money raised going to Beth's kids.
Observers hail Stephanie Culley for stepping up for her best friend, but she humbly said she's only doing what is right. "We believe God has blessed us in our lives and this is the best thing we can do," she told News Tribune.
