“😢 ‘Gone Too Soon’: 1000-Lb Sisters Family Rocked by Another Tragedy—The Cousin Fans Never Knew, Until Now”

While the world may know the Slaton name from the raw, often brutally honest TLC reality show 1000-Lb Sisters, what many don’t realize is that the family’s health battles extend far beyond the cameras.

This week, tragedy returned to the Slaton orbit with the death of Katie Slaton, a cousin of stars Tammy and Amy Slaton, who passed away at the age of 37 following a harrowing fight against stage 4 gastric adenocarcinoma—a form of stomach cancer that is rarely caught early and often spreads rapidly before diagnosis.

Though Katie largely lived her life out of the spotlight, her passing has deeply shaken the Slaton family and the show’s devoted fanbase.

According to insiders close to the family, Katie was diagnosed just over 11 months ago, after initially mistaking her symptoms—bloating, fatigue, and stomach pain—for digestive issues.

By the time scans revealed the full truth, the cancer had already spread to surrounding organs.

“She fought like hell,” a family friend shared.

“She didn’t want anyone’s pity.

She just wanted time.
But time, heartbreakingly, was not on her side.

Katie’s battle was marked by intensive treatments, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and several hospitalizations.

In the final months of her life, she was cared for at home by her mother and siblings, with visits from cousins Tammy and Amy when they could travel.

A source close to the Slaton sisters revealed that Katie was one of the few family members who kept in close contact with both Amy and Tammy during their own health crises, particularly Tammy’s near-death experience during her medically induced coma in 2022.

“Katie was a quiet rock,” the source said.

“She didn’t want fame, but she supported Amy and Tammy through all the ups and downs.

Now, her death has left a hole in the family—and fans are demanding to know why her story wasn’t told on the show.

While it’s unclear whether producers were aware of Katie’s illness, a TLC insider has since confirmed that she had declined any on-camera involvement shortly after the show premiered in 2020.

“She loved her cousins,” the insider noted, “but she valued her privacy.

Especially when her health began to decline.

Tammy and Amy have not yet released a joint statement, but Tammy posted a black square to her Instagram profile with the words: “Gone too soon.

You were stronger than anyone knew.

” Amy reposted the image with a single broken heart emoji.

Fans of 1000-Lb Sisters know all too well the layers of struggle that have followed this family for years—poverty, obesity, loss, addiction, and chronic illness.

But Katie’s passing has added another layer of devastating reality to a narrative that, while dramatic on screen, is rooted in real pain and real loss.

According to a GoFundMe launched by extended family members, Katie had no life insurance.

The campaign aims to cover funeral expenses, with any extra going toward gastric cancer awareness initiatives.

In just 48 hours, it raised over $19,000, with hundreds of messages from fans expressing their condolences—and their outrage that someone so young could be lost so quickly.

“This shouldn’t be happening in 2025,” one donor wrote.

“She was 37.This cancer is a death sentence if it’s not caught early—and nobody talks about it.

Gastric adenocarcinoma is often called a “silent killer” because its early symptoms mimic indigestion or heartburn.

By the time many people are diagnosed, the disease has already metastasized.

Katie’s case was no exception.

“She didn’t want to tell people how bad it was,” said a family friend.

“She didn’t want to worry anyone.

That’s who she was—always thinking about others first.

The funeral is set to take place in Dixon, Kentucky, where Katie was born and raised.

The Slaton family will attend privately, and according to early reports, there are plans for a tribute episode in the upcoming season of 1000-Lb Sisters, even if Katie herself never appeared on camera.

“She was family,” a TLC rep said.

“And her impact on Amy and Tammy’s lives deserves to be acknowledged.

While her name may not have been known to the millions who watch the show, Katie Slaton’s story is a reminder that the pain behind the scenes is often far greater than the drama we see on screen.

And now, as the family and fanbase mourns yet another loss, they do so knowing that behind every smile, every joke, and every struggle is a story like Katie’s—quiet, invisible… and deeply human.