On January 19, 2021, Bishop Briggs' sister Kate McLaughlin died at the young age of 30 after battling ovarian cancer. In the three years since that horrific day, the singer-songwriter has released new music and brought new life into the world, but that doesn't mean it's been any easier to cope without her sibling. For the third anniversary of her death, Briggs shared footage from family videos and grieved but also took the opportunity to encourage fans to educate themselves on ovarian cancer.
"I can’t believe it’s been three years. I miss you so much. There is still a longing in my heart that this is all some big misunderstanding and you’ll come back," she wrote. "Although I only want this post to be about how special Kate is I know she would want me to share information with you all that could save your life."
"With ovarian cancer it’s difficult to diagnose as symptoms generally get written off by doctors as something extremely mild. Symptoms can be bloating, fatigue, having to urinate more often, weight loss, weight gain, back pain, change in your menstrual cycle, etc," Briggs warned. "I found out that the only way to even find out if you have it or are more likely to have it is by requesting to be genetically tested for BRACA1 and BRACA2."
"We both thought that when we got our annual pap smears and got tested for cervical cancer that ovarian cancer would be apart of that equation but it is not. You have to specifically ask for that test and once you do you can find out if you are up to 70 percent more likely to get the disease," Briggs revealed. "And from there you can decide what to do. If caught early you have a 94% success rate but as you can tell by the symptoms many of these we experience as women monthly and think nothing of it. This disease kills two thirds of women who get it. It breaks me that Kate had a rare form of this cancer which meant the statistics were much more dire."
"Truthfully, I didn’t read statistics like that when we were in this because I was just determined to get her better and keep my head focused on all the information as it came to us," she admitted. "After Kate passed away I forced myself to get tested for this gene despite having zero desire to continue on. I knew Kate would want me to. I did not have the gene and I felt so confused by the result. Why did I not have it and she did? It still feels so deeply unfair and something I still struggle with. I don’t know why I shared that last part. Perhaps just something I’m still digesting and will forever be grieving the life I wish Kate had the chance to have. I love and miss you. Thank you for being my best friend."
See her full post below.