Family prays sister with autism, stage 3 colon cancer survives COVID-19

A woman is in the fight of her life.

Caitlyn Wilson is a 29-year-old woman with non-verbal autism, and she is being treated for stage 3 colon cancer.

As if fighting a cancer diagnosis wasn’t enough, Caitlyn is in a new battle for her life — the coronavirus.

Two hours in the car down empty country roads in the middle of nowhere, you’ll only find “City Slicker Ranch” if the homeowners want you to. It’s a place where the dogs, horses and even catfish make more noise than any man, woman or child.

That is where you would typically find Caitlyn Wilson.

“Caitlyn is 29 years old. She’s non-verbal autistic. That doesn’t hold her back,” said Patty Wilson, Caitlyn’s mom. “She’s just such a bright spot in everybody’s life.”

In January, doctors diagnosed Caitlyn with stage 3 colon cancer.

“She made it all look so easy,” Patty said.

At the onset of the pandemic, the family thought their 20-acre farm would be safe. In the middle of a pandemic, they were in the middle of nowhere.

“This is real,” Patty said. “And as hard as we protected her, it’s still got into our house.”

Caitlyn’s uncle left the farm to go to the emergency room, returned home, and a few days later, the whole family tested positive for the coronavirus.

“I just can’t believe how careful we were, and now she’s fighting for her life,” Patty said.

Caitlyn is on a ventilator.

“You have no idea what it’s like to have to say goodbye to your sister because you’re not sure if she’s going to wake up,” said Courtnye Liggett, Caitlyn’s sister.

In the middle of nowhere, the love for Caitlyn is hard to miss.

“This has nothing to do with politics. It’s not one party versus the other. This is a disease, and it’s killing people,” Liggett said. “My sister is coming home because I’ll accept nothing less.”