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Jeana Keough Unable to Speak During Brutal Tongue Cancer Treatment

Doctors paused therapy after a deep vein thrombosis delayed a planned feeding‑tube procedure because of a related infection that must clear before treatment can resume.

Overview

  • A July 19 GoFundMe post from her daughter confirmed that a biopsy found squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue after Keough had a painful spot for nearly a year.
  • Surgeons removed the primary tumor and then performed a lymph‑node dissection that showed the cancer had spread, and Keough began combined chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.
  • Doctors paused chemo and radiation on July 21 after they discovered a deep vein thrombosis in her leg and an infection that made clinicians delay a G‑tube procedure intended to restore nutrition.
  • Keough’s daughter reported on Monday that severe tongue and throat pain plus radiation mucus have left the 70‑year‑old unable to speak and struggling to swallow or eat full meals.
  • Her children are coordinating care, pursuing the feeding tube and fundraising for expenses with more than $70,000 raised toward a $90,000 goal while teams monitor the infection so treatment can restart.