Teen Mom OG star Mackenzie McKee is showing her father some love on his birthday, which fell just days after the death of her mother, Angie Douthit, who passed away Monday after a lengthy battle with cancer. On Thursday, Dec. 12, the reality TV star took to Instagram to share a heartfelt tribute to her dad, praising him for his strength throughout the tragic time.
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“Happy birthday Daddy,” McKee began the post. “Thank you for showing the world and us kids what true, unconditional, and Christ-like love looks like. I’ve never seen anyone love as hard as you loved my [Angie Douthit]. I don’t understand any of this and never will. You are so loved and we are here to take care of you.”
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The emotional message was met with an overwhelming response of support from fans, who have followed Douthit’s journey since she revealed her cancer diagnosis in 2018.
“Happy birthday to your dad. He’s a wonderful man,” one person wrote. “May god give him the strength to celebrate his day.”
“Such an amazing defenition (sic) of a MAN! Happy Birthday Sir! You have people praying for you,” a second person added.
“Happy birthday to your dad May beautiful memories of the wonderful life with your mom make him smile when he’s so sad,” commented another.
McKee’s family celebrated her father’s birthday just three days after the tragic passing of Douthit, who tragically lost her years-long battle to an aggressive form of cancer on Monday, Dec. 9. Her passing was announced on her Instagram page, which wrote that she had “finished her race.”
“But this is where you pick up the baton and run like she did mighty warrior,” the post read in part, encouraging those who had followed Douthit’s journey to continue on in her spirit. “You can choose this day to be like Angie and use your social media engagements to make a difference rather than disaster, to spread love and not hate, and to always be kind.”
In the days since, McKee has been open about her grieving process and has shared multiple tributes, in various forms, to her mother. In an emotional tribute shared to her Instagram shortly after her mother’s passing, she opened up about her parents’ relationship, revealing how her father continued to support Douthit throughout her battle.
“When mom got sick, she was very weak and it was hard for her to raise her hands. So anytime she would worship and have the desire to raise her hands, she would grab dads hand and he would help her lift her arm up to worship,” she wrote.
“Dad has watched mom these last two years share the Gospel with the world. He has watched her love others, forgive others, and show others true kindness,” she added. “This has changed dad tremendously and he has grown in his relationship with Christ. All of us kids have seen a huge difference in dad over the last two years.”
“When mom first got sick, dad shut down and it was hard for him to even talk,” she continued. “Yesterday when we worshipped together, mom was too weak to move. Dad grabbed her hand and lifted it in the air so she could worship. Instead of how dad acted two years ago, he has been able to lead us toward Christ.”