UPDATE: First of all thank you to each and every one of you who have supported me during this time. I am truly in awe of the support from friends and family across the country and from each chapter of life. Every note, card, text, phone call and virtual hug have meant the world to me. Each of you are part of my army to KICK this. I am sending all my love to all of you.

I am officially 25% done with my scheduled chemotherapy treatments! It's the little wins! My treatment regimen includes 4 rounds of AC and 4 rounds of Taxol. Each round I wear a dignicap (brrrr!!) for roughly 6 hours. I opted for cold capping in efforts to save hair and support regrowth of my hair. This is something that is not covered by insurance, and I pay for a dignicap session each chemo round. The cap gets to -30 degrees on your head, it feels like you are on the top of a mountain with the cold wind blowing across your head as you adjust your helmet and goggles! Once my head is cold, the six hours fly by. It makes for a long day, but I feel it will be worth it. Following my chemo treatment, I still have quite the journey ahead. Next steps include a surgery, weeks of radiation, and the final step will be reconstruction surgery + plus ten years of a hormone therapy drug.

The last few months I had to think about & make decisions I never thought I would have to think about at this age. Navigating cancer is already difficult, adding a layer of fertility on top of everything was even more to handle. My dream has always been to be a mom, not just a regular mom but a COOL mom! Fertility had to be completed prior to treatment. I decided to complete two rounds of fertility to confidently have a 'back up' if after all months and years of hormone therapy I am unable to have children naturally. I am grateful that one round was covered by insurance, but sadly my second round was not a necessity according to insurance - with that being said I am paying out of pocket for the round which includes doctor visits, labs, procedure and at least 5 years of storage costs (roughly $15k). I am SO happy of my decision, and pray that everything will work out with fertility when I get on the other side.

Thank you for keeping this kickin kiwi in your thoughts and prayers during this holiday season. I am thankful for the love, care, and support from my medical team, family, and team - it takes a village to beat this!

xx, keelin

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As many of you reading this probably are not aware… our smiley, goofy, sunshine in human form, Keelin McDermott, has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. As a healthy 26 year old, this has come as quite a shock.

We want Keelin to be able to focus on her recovery without the stress of financial worries, so here we are!

Our goal is to raise funds to help cover her medical expenses such as surgeries, chemotherapy, fertility treatments, egg storage costs, radiation therapy, and any additional treatments she may require.

Keelin has always been passionate about breast cancer research. In high school, she was president of the “Think Pink” club, which was dedicated to education and philanthropy fundraising events to support breast cancer research. Any surplus of funds will go back to breast cancer research organizations.

Please consider donating to this campaign and sharing it with your friends, family, and networks. Your support will not go unnoticed, and truly every dollar of support will help!!

Let's reciprocate the love Keelin has shown to everyone in her life throughout the years!!

Keelin, or “Kiwi” as some call her, is going to kick cancer’s butt, and come out STRONGER on the other side. #kiwikickscancer

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness, compassion, and support.

All the love,

Keelin’s support system

#kiwikickscancer