Meeting Life’s Challenges Head-On: Misti Crawford’s Story of Resilience and Family

Love Bombs
Written By Brooke Taylor, Board Chair

Misti Crawford lives on a 40-acre farm in Kansas with her husband, having built a life full of hard work and family bonds. Originally from Quail, Texas, she grew up on a cotton and peanut farm, eventually moving to Bonham, Texas during high school. She and her husband met there, and after years of moving for work, they found their home in Kansas.

Just a day before receiving her cancer diagnosis, Misti and her husband bought a historic farmhouse, eager to begin renovations together. However, the diagnosis of micro-invasive ductal carcinoma with DCIS in situ changed their plans entirely. Physically exhausted from her treatment, Misti wasn’t able to help with the house. Her husband stepped up, racing against time to complete the house before her mastectomy. “He managed it in two months,” Misti says proudly, knowing how much effort that took on his part during a stressful period.

Misti has always found joy in helping others, especially when they are going through tough times. “If I hear about someone who needs a little pick-me-up, I love sending them care packages,” she says. Her commitment to others remains unwavering despite everything she has faced. At 43, Misti also returned to school, a challenge she took on during chemotherapy. “It wasn’t easy, but I did it,” she reflects, acknowledging the effort it took to push through such a difficult time.

The Love Bomb will allow Misti to visit her daughter and granddaughter in Texas, a reunion that’s long overdue. “I haven’t seen them in over a year, and usually, I’d visit four to six times a year,” she shares. The Love Bomb will also give Misti the chance to take her granddaughter to Build-A-Bear and perhaps enjoy a day at Six Flags—an opportunity to create new memories with family.

Misti’s journey is one of perseverance and love, a testament to the importance of family and making the most of every opportunity. The Love Bomb will be more than just a gift; it’s a way for Misti to reconnect with her loved ones and celebrate life’s special moments after a difficult chapter.

Brooke Taylor, Board Chair

Brooke Clay Taylor is the founder of the Rural Gone Urban Foundation, a nonprofit born from her belief in supporting women who are tough as nails—women who don’t let the weight of the world break them.

A ranch girl at heart and a toddler mom, Brooke’s life has been anything but ordinary. Raised on a farm in Indiana, she learned early on that life isn’t fair, but it’s worth fighting for. At six, she lost her dad to colon cancer. By junior high, she traded her small-town roots for life on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma, and by high school, was already proving the world wrong when a guidance counselor deemed her “not college material.”

Brooke’s journey hasn’t been a straight line. After over a decade working in agriculture marketing with internationally recognized brands, she bet on herself and started her own business from the ground up, with just one client and a lot of faith. In 2019, when she gave birth to her daughter, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. After a season of intense treatment, she was declared cancer-free, but life threw her a curveball when cancer returned in 2022 for round two. And yet, through every challenge, she’s never had to face it alone.

Brooke believes that while you can do a lot on your own, it’s the people in your corner that make the difference. It was this belief that led her to launch the Rural Gone Urban Foundation in 2022, a place for women in need of support—whether they’re pursuing education, building businesses, or battling cancer.

As a self-proclaimed “B student” and a mom to a 5-year-old, Brooke wants women to know they’re worthy of support, regardless of their GPA or their business’s current state. Her foundation is here to help women write their own stories of strength, resilience, and success.

In Brooke’s world, there’s no such thing as too much support—whether you’re in the ring with cancer, starting a business, or just trying to make it through another day.

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