Keith Carey's Next Chapter: Looking After Mona

It is with a heavy heart that I give this update on our very dear Keith. On Monday afternoon, he surrendered his earthly body to the Lord. While Keith was determined to fight to keep his promise to all of us—to beat this cancer—it had spread to other parts of his body and he could no longer sustain his battle. He was blessed to be able to give a final farewell to family and some of his friends in his last hours. Mona felt that he was fully at peace when passed. Many will remember him as a God-loving person whose personality shined through to everyone that he encountered.

I was so very blessed to experience the person that Keith had become over the last few years; his true awareness and appreciation of God’s love and his ability to pay that love forward. We spoke nearly every day and he made me much stronger in my faith. While I miss him dearly, I could not ask for a better ending to his journey—a faith that overflowed into the lives of others.

We always talked about what had become his favorite show, The Chosen. Keith watched the entire series over 30 times, yet he still cried during many of the episodes…that's our Keith. Just seeing the beauty of Jesus, The Word, present in the daily lives of ordinary people like us.

As some of you may know, Keith painted a very moving picture of Jesus Embracing His Cross. Keith had a strong desire to get healthy again and paint the scene of Jesus and Nicodemus on the rooftop (The Chosen - S1 E7) in which Nicodemus comes to realize that Jesus is God, our Messiah, and wants so desperately to be one of His followers but just can’t fully give up his worldly position and possessions to follow Him unconditionally. Sound familiar?

While Jesus took on the suffering for all of humanity, Keith did everything he could as he took on his cross—his cancer, his being pulled away from everything that brought him joy and satisfaction. One of his greatest final sufferings was his concern for his wife, Mona. Mona assures us that she will be fine; she has a beautiful family that has surrounded her with love, compassion, and support. However, the medical bills, final expenses, and transition to a new normal without Keith are challenging enough, even when the financial resources are available. Funds were exhausted as Keith and Mona did everything they could to find a solution to his illness.

Keith is certainly not alone in embracing his cross. We all have our crosses to bear, be they health-related, strained relationships, loss of job, addictions, or financial hardship. I would ask that just as Keith bravely carried his cross to the end, you would find it in your heart to help to lighten the cross that Mona will be carrying as she moves forward in the months to come.

Together with Mona, we thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, and financial support over the past few months. Any donations in Keith’s memory can still be made to his GoFundMe page; and will be used to pay his final medical bills and to help Mona cover her expenses until she gets back on her feet. Your prayers are still very much appreciated. We pray that God blesses each one of you. Thank you all for being with us on this journey.

I love you my brother; be at peace with God.

John Ames