She knew she was dying. Her priority was preparing her 6-year-old daughter.

Kellee Edwards, the Lexington mother featured in a May 23 article about Camp Kesem, a camp for children with relatives who have cancer, died Thursday evening.

The news was announced via posts on Facebook, which said she died surrounded by her family and close friends.

Edwards knew she was dying when she first contacted the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com with her story idea about Camp Kesem and the work it does helping children with sick relatives.

“I am a 45-year-old mother who has Stage 4 small-cell lung cancer that has spread to my liver,” she wrote in an email. “This is my second go-around with cancer, and my prognosis is not so great. But the story isn’t about me.”

Edwards had signed up her daughter, Kate, for Camp Kesem, a camp for children ages 6 to 16 who have a relative with cancer. This was the first year that the weeklong nationwide camp had been held in Kentucky. Kesem operates more than 70 free summer camps in 34 states.

Kate Whitlock, who was then 6 and is now 7, had a successful experience with Camp Kesem.

In her interview with the newspaper, Edwards said her priority was her daughter: “My job as a parent at this point ... is to do my best to get her some coping skills for if the ‘what if?’ happens. I imagine losing your mother, especially at her age, is really difficult.”

Funeral arrangements haven’t been announced.

This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 11:16 AM with the headline "She knew she was dying. Her priority was preparing her 6-year-old daughter.."