Alaskan Bush People debuted on the TV screen in 2014, and there has been no stopping since then. This series follows the unusual lives of the Browns, who decided to live off the wild Alaskan land without any contact from the outside world. The family braced the harsh winter conditions and embraced their life in Alaska, following which they were nicknamed the Wolf Pack.
While the series captures the daily life of each family member, the matriarch, Ami Brown, remains the most popular among all.
Here is everything to know about Ami Brown.
Ami Brown’s Early Life and Childhood
Amora ‘Ami’ Larene Bronson was one of the two children of her parents. Their mother was a civil servant and legal secretary of the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and their father was an airman. She was raised alongside her brother but suffered a lot of childhood abuse and trauma. Following regular episodes of childhood abuse, Ami decided to flee from her parents’ home. At that time, she was 15 years old.
Ami Met the Love of Her Life
Ami’s romance with her husband, Billy, began in the late 1970s. It was love at first sight. Little did she know that their affair would grow into a real love story. After running away from her parents, Ami decided to tie the knot with Billy, who was nine years elder than her.
Initially, the couple lived in Forth Worth, Texas, where Billy started his small plumbing business. However, being adventure enthusiasts at heart, they decided to spend the next couple of years traveling across the states in a van. While on their tryst with the many cities around America, they welcomed their two children – Mathew and Joshua.
In 1986, they sold their van and bought one-way tickets to Alaska. They decided to settle near the town of Wrangell. However, things did not sail smoothly. There were insufficient funds and Billy had to do numerous labor jobs to look after the family. After a continuous struggle for 18 months, the couple learned to survive the harsh Alaskan winter. Ami and her family zeroed on living permanently in Hoonah, Alaska. Over the years, they welcomed five more children and lived peacefully.
The Big Break of 2014
It was the month of May in 2014 that Ami came into the limelight after appearing in Discovery Channel’s reality TV show, Alaskan Bush People, as the matriarch of the family. This show intended to capture the life of the Brown family, who successfully coped with the Alaskan wilderness and its harsh weather conditions.
So far, it has provided more than 100 episodes. Although the show became extremely popular, it also received a lot of flak. The viewers alleged that the series was fake and scripted. But it didn’t affect the makers at all.
The show reached its 13th season the previous year, with its last episode, All on One, aired on the 21st of November.
Ami’s Journey with Cancer
In December 2016, things went downhill for the Brown family. The star of the show discovered that there was something wrong with her health. After visiting a few doctors, it was revealed that she had stage 4 lung cancer. The doctors also said that Ami had little chance of survival. Despite the bad news, Ami said she would try to stay positive and let her faith guide her in her journey.
On one side, Ami was determined to fight for her life. But no matter how much she ate, she continued losing weight, and her health deteriorated. Regardless of what she did, Ami experienced a lot of pain. Things turned so bad that she had to use a wheelchair and ultimately visit a hospital to manage her health crisis.
It was the first time the family had to move out of their home. The whole cast relocated to accommodate the health needs of the matriarch.
Ami Brown was Vocal about her Struggle with Cancer
Brown’s cancer was discovered while she was filming Alaskan Bush People. Thus, she had nothing to hide. The reality star was pretty vocal about her cancer journey. She quoted, “It hurts. Everything hurts….I realized early into this that it’s very easy to want to give up and die. And on the pessimist side, it could be my last days…Worrying about it only makes it worse. There is hope, and that hope is having faith in God. You can’t give up”
Ami decided to take this tragedy in her stride and put her illness on display. She admitted that she was extremely nervous the first time she went in for radiation. Soon the good news greeted the family. According to a few sources, her cancer was declared to be in remission after a few rounds of radiation therapy. Billy even said that there was a brief incident where he felt his wife had died.
The Family’s Current Whereabouts
It was vital for the family to relocate for Ami’s cancer treatment. The latest word is that the family is living near Pueblo, Colorado.
In 2021, the Browns met another bump on the road. Their father, Billy Brown, passed away after suffering from a seizure. The family confirmed the news about his passing away on social media. Bear Brown, the couple’s son, released an official statement on his social media handle.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved patriarch Billy Brown passed away last night after suffering from a seizure. He was our best friend – a wonderful and loving dad, granddad, and husband, and he will be dearly missed”
Ami is still cancer-free and is working hard to continue her life without her husband. She also plans to build a new barn for the animals and increase the size of her ranch.
A Few Facts About Ami Brown You Didn’t Know
- Ami felt some pain in her back, and she thought it might be because of overexertion. She soon experienced shortness of breath and assumed it might be because she was getting older. She never took her health seriously and thought she had arthritis.
- It was her dentist who discovered that the star had cancer.
- Most of her prognoses were very negative. But Ami didn’t budge an inch. She is a real fighter.
- Ami used her cancer as a medium to promote this disease and its treatment to the public.
- Ami Brown’s estimated net worth is over $12 million.