The past couple days the Palmer Family’s lives have been flipped after getting an unexpected diagnosis for their son Keegan.

A parents worst nightmare, a large brain tumor. I want to help by trying to relieve some of the financial medical stress. Here’s Shelbi’s story…

Hey guys.

Today has been one of the hardest days of my life.

Two days ago, on Thursday, January 15th, I read something in my chart that no parent should ever have to read—that my 14-year-old son, Keegan, has a large brain tumor.

Keegan has been having headaches on and off for about two years. Over the last two weeks since Christmas, he started throwing up in the mornings. On Saturday, we went to a walk-in clinic to see what was going on. They tested him for COVID, flu, and strep—everything came back negative. We were left with no answers.

I called his doctor to push for an MRI. The MRI was ordered on Monday, and Wednesday morning we got the call that it was approved. Thursday night, while I was alone, I read the MRI results. I was reading something no parent should ever have to read.

I had to make the hardest calls to the family members closest to me. At that point, I hadn’t told Keegan yet because I didn’t know if what I read was truly confirmed. On Friday morning, I sent my son to school like any normal day. Later that morning, the doctor called and confirmed it—my son has a brain tumor, and we needed to go to Boston Children’s Hospital immediately.

On the drive there, I had to tell my kids that their brother was sick, without knowing exactly how to explain what was happening. When we arrived, the doctors reviewed the scans and confirmed what every parent fears to hear.

They asked if they could explain everything to Keegan. My heart dropped. Watching the doctor tell my son that there was something in his brain was unbearable—but Keegan sat there, asked questions, and showed more strength than I could ever imagine.

I then had to call each of my kids individually and tell them their brother had a tumor. Those were the hardest calls I’ve ever made.

The doctor came in and told us the next steps: Keegan was being admitted, and he would need brain surgery today—Saturday, January 17th, around 10:00 a.m.

Watching my son be rolled down the hallway for surgery, with tears streaming down my face, is something I will never forget. This is one of the hardest things a parent can go through. There are so many emotions—fear, heartbreak, strength, and even moments of laughter in between.

Right now, everything has been moving so fast. We don’t know what the next steps are yet, and we haven’t had time to process it all. I will let everyone know how they can help when we are able.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the prayers, support, love, and kindness you have shown Keegan and our family over the last few days. You are helping us get through this.

I love you so much, my boy. We are all sitting here waiting for you to come back to us.

I love you so much, Keegan John.

You have shown me strength beyond words.