Supporting each other through lung cancer

One couple’s story

Being a caregiver for your spouse journeying through cancer is one thing, but having the experience of having those roles switched, just a few years apart, is quite the challenge. And that was exactly what Jack and Holly Keel experienced.

In March 2020, a suspicious spot on Jack’s right lung was found by chance after an accident at work. He was told to see a pulmonologist as soon as possible to investigate. Still, Jack was reluctant to make an appointment. After some convincing from Holly, Jack agreed to see Fidencio Davalos, MD, who happened to be treating Holly’s COPD.

“It took me all summer, but I got him there,” recalls Holly.

When Jack was officially diagnosed with lung cancer, the small spot, found on accident, had spread. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy were ahead of him. But almost two years later, Jack’s body was cancer-free.

Holly stood by his side through it all—and still does as he continues to receive infusion treatments to ensure the cancer does not return. Little did she know that she would be in the same position as Jack just a few years later.

A surprising turn of events

“We were sitting on the front porch and she coughed up some blood, and I told her, ‘Let’s go to the ER,’” explains Jack. This time, it was his turn to play the caregiver role.

Holly had been conducting breathing tests and low-dose CT scans to monitor the condition of her lungs under the care of Dr. Davalos for a few years at this point. They were aware of a nodule in her lung, but at the time, it wasn’t a problem for Holly.

After scans and tests at the emergency room, the physician there called Dr. Davalos to let him know the spot in Holly’s left lung had grown into a problem—and it was time to do something about it.

Holly’s biopsy was performed using robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, the Ion by Intuitive. This technology allows unprecedented stability and precision to obtain tissue samples from deep within the lung.

After finding out about her lung cancer diagnosis, Holly completed her chemotherapy treatments in the summer of 2024, with the potential of a surgical lung resection on the horizon. While the journey may not be at an end, her strength and hope remain by her side: Her husband who beat lung cancer is her example.

“I wouldn’t take it back for anything,” says Jack. “We are doing this together, and [we] have our family and the staff at Memorial supporting us.”