Jeana Keough's family is doing all of the talking.
As the "The Real Housewives of Orange County" alum, 70, continues treatment for tongue cancer, her daughter Kara Bosworth has shared updates on her mother's behalf, revealing that Keough is unable to speak, at least for the time being.
"Right now, Jeana isn't talking. The tongue and throat pain, paired with the mucus from radiation on the area, is just brutal," Bosworth said in a July 27 Instagram Story post. "Poor mama has to spit into tissues all day."
Bosworth gave Blow Tissues a shoutout in her update, thanking the company for sending the Bravo star a care package filled with five-ply bamboo tissues: "Our sweet friends @blowtissues understood the assignment. She's never needed a delivery more."
Bosworth first shared Keough's diagnosis and treatment plan in a GoFundMe launched Sunday, July 19, explaining that a biopsy confirmed that a painful spot on her mother's tongue was in fact "squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue."
According to Bosworth, Keough had assumed a tooth had been rubbing against it [her tongue] and had even gone to the dentist multiple times to have the tooth filed down. Keough recalled having the pain for nearly a year.
Jeana Keough's daughter: 'Every day is a battle'
Bosworth detailed her mother's plight in the caption of the fundraiser, calling the treatments "relentless."
"She is 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," Bosworth wrote. "Every day is a battle just to get enough nutrition and hydration to continue treatment."
Keough had entered her fifth week of chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy at that point, with Bosworth noting that a "one-time surgery became a full cancer battle."
Keough, who works as a realtor, has been unable to work during treatment, which has become an "enormous financial burden," Bosworth said, adding that she and her brother have felt "helpless" supporting from afar and, now that Bosworth has been able to visit, realize the ongoing support their mother needs during treatment. "Most of all, your generosity will remind her that she is not fighting this battle alone," Bosworth wrote.
Bosworth shared in a July 24 update that "Jeana was finally feeling a little more like herself" after she gave her mother the "full spa treatment" at the hospital. Bosworth said she and her brother Colton had gotten a crash course in tube feeding and cleaning that day.
"For everyone who's been asking, we're hoping for good lab results tomorrow and, if all goes well, to bring Jeana home. From there, we'll continue caring for her as she heads into the final stretch of chemotherapy and radiation," she said.
The fundraiser has raised over $70,000 since late July, which Bosworth said will go toward "expenses, everyday living costs, nutrition" and additional support. The fundraiser's current goal is $90,000.
Keough starred in Seasons 1-5 of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" from 2006 to 2012, later appearing as a friend and guest of the show. The former actress, model and music video star served as narrator for the series in Season 15.
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'RHOC' star Jeana Keough unable to speak amid 'brutal' cancer treatment
