Jeana Keough is in the middle of an aggressive cancer fight after doctors found that tongue cancer had spread following surgery, her daughter Kara Bosworth said in a recent update. Keough, 70, is now in her fifth week of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.
That is the reason the Jeana Keough tongue cancer diagnosis and health update is drawing attention now: the illness has moved from a painful spot on her tongue to a treatment course that Bosworth described as relentless. Bosworth said her mother first noticed the problem a few months ago while visiting Shane and her in Florida, then went to the dentist multiple times because she thought a tooth was rubbing against her tongue.
After a biopsy, doctors confirmed cancer. Surgery followed, and when doctors planned a second surgery to remove lymph nodes, they discovered the cancer had spread. Bosworth said her mother is exhausted, struggling to stay awake and becoming malnourished because pain in her tongue and throat makes swallowing even small bites or sips hard.
That medical toll has also become a financial one. Bosworth said Keough has been unable to work because of treatment, and she described the burden on the family as enormous. A GoFundMe was set up to help with expenses, everyday living costs, nutrition and added support during treatment, and as of the post, more than $15K had been raised toward a $22K goal.
Keough is known to TV viewers as one of the original stars of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County, where she appeared when the series premiered in 2006 and stayed on for its first five seasons. She has continued to make appearances through the run of The Real Housewives of Orange County and is featured in the premiere episode of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th. For now, the next confirmed step is more treatment, while the full length of the plan has not been spelled out.
