Kelli McConnell’s Cancer Journey

Kelli “Kooli” McConnell has a vibrant and creative soul. She is a Reiki master and Director of Religious Exploration at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens. More importantly, Kelli is a beloved sister and fierce friend. She’s a healer at heart and has spent most of her life practicing intentional self care in order to make space for people that need her healing gifts. She devoutly tends to her mind and spirit. Her gifts are needed more than ever as she enters her second year of battling breast cancer. Even with the dire diagnosis, Kelli is determined to use her experience to shine a light into darkness for others who may be dealing with similar circumstances. 


If you would like to learn more about our special spirit warrior, follow her on instagram: @ke11o

Last Christmas Eve (2019), Kelli received a call from her radiologist stating that a recent biopsy showed a malignant tumor in her breast tissue and multiple lymph nodes. Kelli was diagnosed with Stage Three triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma in her right breast. Since receiving this news, Kelli has undergone a tremendous amount of treatment while navigating a pandemic. Over the last year she has endured five months of IV chemo-therapy, a mastectomy + 14 lymph nodes removed, thirty days of radiation, and another round of chemo in pill form. Despite the grueling treatment schedule, Kelli has kept her spirits sky high and confronted her diagnosis with positivity, strength, lots of humor, and one late night shouting match with the moon. 

With 2020 coming to a close, we were hoping for good news to ring in the holiday season. Unfortunately, we learned that Kelli’s cancer has metastasized to her brain. We couldn’t have made this discovery without Kelli’s insistence on getting additional scans when she was experiencing jaw pain. She is not afraid of her diagnosis and is fiercely determined to reclaim her health. In short, Kelli is a WARRIOR. Kelli has already powered through a pair of Stereotactic Radio-Surgery sessions with one or two more on the horizon. They successfully hit five of the seven lesions in the first two appointments. The treatment staff praised Kelli as “a rock star,” which she loved to hear!

The journey continues as Kelli has been accepted as a new patient at the world renowned MD Anderson cancer research hospital in Houston, TX. Kelli will need a lot of love and support from friends and family, especially considering the daunting back and forth travel schedule just around the corner. Support is welcomed in the way of prayers, letters, well-wishes, and financial contributions. The donations will go a long way towards covering travel and treatment expenses. There is no specific dollar amount we are trying to reach, any and all contributions are greatly appreciated and go directly to Kelli! 

In order to better understand our wonderful Kelli, please take a glimpse into her way of handling the recent diagnosis and the months of treatment ahead…

“I know that my life is touched by Divine intervention - I know that my own inner wisdom was guiding me to get a test sooner than January - these extra few weeks might have saved my life.  I know that this is dire news, but I am here to do whatever I can to lengthen and strengthen my time in this beautiful, precious and precarious life. I also  know that death is as natural to life as anything and everything...I’m not afraid to die, but I’m not ready just yet.” ❤️ I do not invite fear into my sacred asking, only love and trust in the highest/best outcome for all. In praying for me, I invite you to center yourself into your body, take some cleansing, grounding breaths, light a candle or imagine a candle’s light softly burning in honor of these, our brightest and best invocations. Join me in imagining that the cancer is being chipped away by tiny angels with pix-axe power tools who then dust-bust the heck out of the areas where cells have metastasized. See my angels lovingly cleaning up my skull, singing a sweet song of healing and hope, while they tend to my brain with tiny golden vacuums to remove any residual un-healed cells. This is the kind of imagery that keeps me goingThis is the kind of imagery that keeps me going.

This is a life altering experience, with ups and downs but I am anchoring in with as much grace, faith and love as I can. Your support, prayers, loving thoughts and care are ferrying me along!!”

If you want to follow more of Kelli’s thoughts and musings on her journey to remission click
HERE

This page was created by friends of Kelli.