Rory Feek‘s oldest daughter, Heidi, says that she once made a solemn promise to always protect her younger sister, Indiana.
On social media, Heidi frequently shares updates and answers fan comments about the ongoing turbulence and estrangement between her and her country singer father.
Feek hasn’t allowed her to see now-11-year-old Indiana in over a year, and Heidi and her other sister Hopie have raised concerns about Indiana’s well-being and safety in the care of their dad.
In a new post, she explains that her commitment to fighting for Indiana dates all the way back to a deathbed promise she made to the young girl’s mom, Joey Feek, as Joey was dying of cancer.
Heidi says that the day Joey died, her family and loved ones were gathered around her. But Heidi’s aunt — a nurse who had taken time off work to care for Joey in her final days — noticed a change in her breathing and told the family that her final moments were coming.
“In that moment…everybody kind of scattered to call, you know, Joey’s mom, Joey’s dad — let people know, ‘Hey, it’s happening, you probably wanna get over here now,'” Heidi recounts. “Because they all did that, in that moment, I was the only one sitting there with Joey.”
She knew that this was likely going to be the last time she had with Joey alone.
“I held her hand and I told her that she can let go now,” Heidi continues. “She had lived a lot longer than we thought she was going to, and held on, and I knew she was suffering. I just wanted her to know that we were gonna be okay.”
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“And I told her that I will step in, and I will protect the family, I promise. And I will take care of Indy. I promise,” she says. “And I meant that. And that’s what I’m doing now.”
- The conflict between Feek and his two older daughters, Heidi and Hopie, has ramped up over the past few years.
- Heidi and Hopie have said that they asked their father to go to family therapy with them, and he refused. They also said that, as tensions mounted, he progressively limited their contact with Indiana and then cut them off altogether.
- Feek has offered his perspective on the dispute via blog posts. Last September, he says he drove down to Heidi’s house in Alabama in hopes of talking to his daughters, but no one answered the door.
Joey was stepmom to Heidi and Hopie; their mother is Tamara Gilmer. However, both of Feek’s daughters were very close to Joey.
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