After Ami Brown was successfully treated for cancer, the Alaskan Bush People chose to move to start a new life in Washington instead of returning home to Alaska. It turns out the decision was not really a choice though, according to Billy and Ami Brown.
In an interview with Monsters and Critics, the couple said Ami’s doctors decided it was too risky for her to live in the wilderness of Alaska.
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“We didn’t really have much choice in how we decided,” Billy explained. “The doctors were quite emphatic that we couldn’t go back there, it was just too hard to get her to…to set up something she would need if something happened, and we also have to go in every three months now to get CAT scans and CT scans.”
It was “too risky” for them to go back to Alaska, and they came to terms with the idea of starting all over again.
“I guess it was just time, you know, the Good Lord, it was just time…you wouldn’t believe what he gave us,” Billy said. “We thought everything was gone. But you have a little bit of faith…he gave us more than we could ever imagine, we could not have ordered it in a dream and it have been better than what he had given us. It’s just a brand new world.”
Ami later added that their children had a say in it too. They told their parents they did not think it was a good idea for them to go back to Alaska.
“The doc was saying how hard it was on Mom and everything,” son Bear Brown explained to Monsters and Critics. “We all figured that it was just time, and the best thing to do, because if we were waiting until Mom was healed up to move back…it seems like one thing that may never happen and she would be constantly waiting.”
Since they could not go all the way back to Alaska, the family decided the Pacific Northwest was a good compromise.
“It really surprised us, because it’s wonderful what we’ve got,” Billy said of their new environment. “The people down here, it’s a lot like Alaska to be honest with you. People’s attitudes and all, critters that we’ve never heard of.”
The current season of Alaskan Bush People was delayed while the family moved up to Washington. They previously left Alaska to live in Los Angeles while Ami was treated for lung cancer. At the end of the previous season, she was told she is now cancer free.
During the season premiere, Billy told audiences his wife is now getting “stronger every day,” but is still weak.
“We’ve fought hard. We deserve to be here,” Billy said during the season premiere. “I think this is definitely the biggest adventure we’ve had.”
New episodes of Alaskan Bush People debut at 9 p.m. ET on Sundays on Discovery.
Photo credit: Discovery
