Hi, my name is Sara and I’m going to share my story and ask for your support during a super challenging time in my life. In late January, I was diagnosed with a rare aggressive cancer called Signet Ring Cell Adenocarcinoma, which was found in my appendix after removal. I experienced serious stomach pains for about 5 days before my husband brought me to the ER to see if it was really just gas or complications from just having a third C-section. It was within an hour of being seen, and running CT scans that i was being introduced to a wonderful surgeon, Dr Marker, who was going to wheel me back and perform a typical routine surgery for appendicitis. Just four days after my surgery, Dr Marker, was calling me asking me to come back in for a routine follow up. He sat me down in the exam room with my 2 month old, 6 year old and my dad to hear the news, “We did a pathology report and found a tumor in your appendix… its cancerous”. My heart sank and i could feel the entire room spinning. I looked at the two of my three kids and lost it.. There’s no way i could have just started my life after battling addiction for years and not only recovering from addiction but breaking the status quo to become the absolute best version of myself for ME and for the world around me. After cleaning up my life, putting my health as my number one priority, coaching others on their health and wellness journeys for the last 7 years, and turning my life over to God.. I NEVER imagined hearing these words being spoken to me.

This type of cancer is the most rare out of the four types of appendix cancers and there are only about 1,500 cases of appendix cancer diagnosed each year. Signet ring cell only happens to every 1 in ONE MILLION people.

This cancer is very aggressive. In most cases, patients don’t even know they have it until their appendix ruptures, and the cancer cells have spread. However, in my case, the tumor was still contained, which gives me hope that we can treat it successfully. It’s been a very overwhelming and difficult time for me, especially as I’m a new mother to a 3-month-old baby, with two older children aged 6 and 9. My husband and I have been married for 3 years, and we are doing our best to balance my health battle with caring for our kids and making sure it still feels normal at home.

I’m facing multiple surgeries, and the treatment plan is intensive. The next step is a right hemicolectomy, where doctors will remove 8-10 inches of my colon along with 12 lymph nodes to test if the cancer has spread through my bloodstream. Because of the cancer’s aggressive nature, there’s a compressed time frame to act, and I’m not able to delay treatment. The hope is that the tumor was confined and that I won’t need additional treatments beyond surgery, but the worst-case scenario would require 6 months of chemotherapy and radiation, which would be physically and emotionally draining for me and my family.

The surgery, follow-up care, and potential further treatments will require me to travel long distances—about 6 hours one way—for follow ups every 3 months for the next 5 years. My husband will need to take time off from his job to travel with me, and we’ll need to stay in hotels and cover food and our bills because he will be missing work and he is the sole provider at this point.

This is where we are asking for your help. No one wants to hear they have cancer, and no one wants to have to figure out how they are going to continue running their life at home, while being in such a foreign and devastating predicament. Our sweet friend Brittany set up this donation page to help us cover the costs of travel, medical expenses, bills at home, and taking care of our children during this time. The donations we receive will help us navigate this tough period and give us one less thing to worry about while I focus on my treatment, recovery, and beating this thing.

We’re incredibly grateful for your support—whether it’s through donations, sharing this page, or keeping us in your thoughts and daily prayers. Your kindness means more than we can express, and we are so thankful for every bit of help we receive as we navigate this journey.

With love + gratitude,

Sara, Clay, Cameron, Bristol, and Charlie Keen