Taylor Odlozil Recalls Not Telling His Wife Her Cancer Was Terminal Days Before They Went on Their Honeymoon

Taylor was on the 'Unplanned' podcast, where he talked about keeping the news from his wife so they could enjoy their honeymoon

Taylor Odlozil says the hardest thing he ever had to do was know that his late wife's cancer was terminal before she did.

Haley was diagnosed with Stage IIIC ovarian cancer just weeks before she and Taylor tied the knot in 2015. In his recent appearance on the Unplanned podcast with hosts Matt and Abby Howard, he opened up about the sad discovery.

"It wasn't until three days later that we found out that the chemo did not work at all," he explained. "That's when I found out, by myself — I could tell the doctor, when she was telling us how the chemo worked, it seemed like she wanted to say more but wasn't ready to say more."

Taylor asked everyone to step out and spoke to the doctor on his own, which confirmed his worst fears — Haley's illness was terminal. At the time, doctors believed she had six months to live.

"So there we are, three days after I just married Haley, and I'm finding out that she's got just six months. Like, really? And I remember I just lost it. The doctor was just comforting me," he said.

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Taylor recalled questioning why this would happen to them and going through so many emotions. He informed the doctor that he didn't want to be the one to tell Haley, at which point the doctor suggested the newlyweds enjoy their honeymoon before informing her.

"I had to gather myself, go out into the waiting room and look at Haley in the face knowing that she's dying," he continued. "We go home and I walk her inside and I looked at her and said, 'Hey, I gotta go see my parents real quick.'"

Haley agreed, needing time alone to process the news the chemo hadn't worked. Taylor left and broke down upon getting to his parents' home.

"I was banging on the front door and my dad opens it, and I literally collapse in his arms, in the doorway, screaming, sobbing. My dad started crying, which we don't see our dads crying very often, and we were just laying in the doorway sobbing. I just realized, she's dying. This really is going to happen," Taylor shared.

"My mom talks about that day, that she remembers that pretty vividly. I've never been that upset in my life. I was able to cry it out, talk with my parents, gather myself, go home, pack for Hawaii, go on that trip and try to make the best out of it."

Taylor noted that keeping the secret from Haley was "awful," especially after a striking comment she made during their honeymoon.

"We were laying in the hammock ... and we were watching the sun go down and she looked at me and said, 'I just feel like this is our last trip.' I looked away for a second and looked back and said, 'Why?' She said, 'I think you just know when you're dying,'" he recalled of her words to him.

Taylor said he had to "lie to her face" to try and forge ahead. As it turned out, Haley had more than six months left and the couple did get to enjoy more trips and make memories, along with their son Weston, before Haley's death in July 2023.

Haley and Taylor spoke with PEOPLE weeks before, with the inspirational mom sharing an important takeaway from sharing her story that she hoped people would hold onto.

"Do not take your life for granted. Always have perspective. Everything in life is about perspective. And whether you're sitting in traffic, whether it's raining, there's something good in every day," she shared at the time.

"Instead of being mad it’s raining, roll down your windows, smell the freshly rained-on grass," she added. "There's something good in every day. Always be thankful for where there are good things. Don't focus on the bad things."

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