Jeana Keough is in her fifth week of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy after doctors confirmed tongue cancer and later found that it had spread. Her daughter, Kara Bosworth, said the diagnosis turned what seemed at first like a dental irritation into a far larger fight, and the family is now trying to keep up with the cost of care.
Keough, 70, noticed a painful spot on her tongue a few months ago while visiting Shane and Bosworth in Florida. She went to the dentist multiple times and had a tooth filed down because she thought it was rubbing against her tongue, but a biopsy changed the picture: doctors confirmed cancer, then recommended a second surgery to remove lymph nodes before discovering the spread during planning for that procedure.
Bosworth said the treatments have been relentless. Keough is exhausted, struggles to stay awake and is becoming malnourished because swallowing even the smallest bites or sips is difficult. The illness has also kept her from working, turning treatment into a financial strain that the family says has been difficult to absorb.
To help cover cancer treatment expenses, Bosworth and her family created a GoFundMe page. As of the post, more than $15K had been raised toward a $22K goal, with the money set to go toward expenses, everyday living costs, nutrition and other support while Keough remains in treatment.
Keough is familiar to Bravo viewers as one of the original stars of The Real Housewives of Orange County, which premiered in 2006. She appeared in the series' first five seasons and has continued to make appearances over the years, and she is also featured in the premiere episode of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th. For now, the central question is not whether she is fighting — she is — but how long the current treatment plan will have to continue before doctors know whether it has done enough.
