Jeana Keough unable to speak as cancer treatment takes heavy toll
Former The Real Housewives of Orange County star Jeana Keough is facing another difficult setback in her battle with tongue cancer, with her family revealing that the 70-year-old is now unable to speak as treatment continues to take a severe physical toll.
The update comes just days after Keough’s family announced that she had been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Her daughter, Kara Keough, has since shared an emotional account of her mother’s condition, describing the pain she is experiencing as “brutal.”
Taking to Instagram Stories, Kara explained that radiation treatment has caused intense discomfort in both her mother’s tongue and throat.
“The tongue and throat pain, paired with the mucus from radiation on the area, is just brutal,” Kara wrote.
She added, “Poor mama has to spit into tissues all day.”
According to Kara, Jeana has already undergone two surgeries after doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. Alongside surgery, she has been receiving chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy in an effort to treat the disease.
However, the aggressive treatment has left the former reality television personality physically exhausted and struggling with everyday activities.
Kara revealed that her mother has become “exhausted, struggling to stay awake, and becoming malnourished because the pain in her tongue and throat makes swallowing even the smallest bites or sips incredibly difficult.”
The family had hoped to improve Jeana’s nutrition by having a feeding tube (G-tube) inserted after she reportedly went two weeks without eating a proper meal. Those plans, however, have now been postponed after doctors identified additional health complications.
According to Kara, physicians discovered both a deep vein thrombosis and an infection in her leg, forcing them to delay the procedure.
Explaining the situation, Kara wrote, “The feeding tube can’t be put directly into her stomach until there’s clarity on the infection.”
As a result, Jeana’s cancer treatment has temporarily been placed on hold while doctors focus on treating the infection before proceeding with further care.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Kara remained hopeful and asked supporters to continue keeping her mother in their thoughts and prayers.
She shared the family’s current prayer requests, writing, “Prayer needs: that this infection clears quickly, that she can get the G-tube surgery imminently so that hangry Jeana doesn’t murder someone, and that we can quickly resume treatment so that this torment can be put in the rear view mirror.”
The message combined honesty with humour, reflecting the family’s determination to stay optimistic during an extremely challenging period.
Jeana first rose to fame as one of the original cast members of The Real Housewives of Orange County, where viewers followed her personal and family life over several seasons. Since news of her diagnosis became public, fans and fellow reality television personalities have flooded social media with messages of encouragement and support.
For now, Jeana’s family remains focused on clearing the infection, improving her nutrition and ensuring she is strong enough to resume cancer treatment as soon as doctors determine it is safe to do so.
