Faulders Family Story

The Keaghan Faulders Family

Stronger Than Leukemia

Six-year-old Keaghan Faulders lived a happy, busy life. She loved to spend her days golfing, hanging out with her cousin, and playing with her little brother, Karsyn. One Saturday in December, she was doing exactly what any six-year-old might do—jumping on a trampoline at a friend’s birthday party. But when her parents, Kaitland and Bryan, came to pick her up, her friend’s parents mentioned something that made them pause: Keaghan just didn’t seem like herself.

The next day, as the Faulders hung Christmas lights outside, Keaghan grew tired and asked to take a nap. By Monday morning, she could barely walk and told her mom she couldn’t go to school. Worried, Kaitland took her to urgent care.

The doctors thought Keaghan had a mild viral infection and advised rest. But Kaitland’s instincts told her something wasn’t right—her daughter was breathing heavily. She insisted on a chest X-ray to be sure. Moments after the scan, the doctor came back with alarming news.

“You have two options,” he said. “Either drive her straight to Chambersburg Hospital, or wait for an ambulance. Her right lung has collapsed.”

By the time Bryan met them at the hospital, tests and bloodwork were already underway. Around 3 p.m., a nurse pulled the couple aside into a private room. From the look on her face, Bryan knew something was terribly wrong. The doctor explained that Keaghan’s bloodwork suggested she had leukemia. The family would be transferred to Hershey Medical Center for confirmation.

When they returned to Keaghan’s room, her parents didn’t know how to tell her. But the moment she saw her father’s red, tear-filled eyes, she began to cry. The ride to Hershey was quiet and heavy with fear.

Within an hour of arriving, Keaghan’s room on the oncology floor filled with doctors. Her new oncologist, Dr. Freiberg, explained that they believed Keaghan had T-cell leukemia—a rarer and more aggressive form of the disease. The next day, she was scheduled for surgery to place a port and drain the fluid around her lungs.

But the surgery didn’t go as planned. When the doctors drained her lung, the sudden rush of fluid sent Keaghan’s body into shock. The team managed to stabilize her, but it was too risky to place the port. They tried to insert a PICC line instead, but the line diverted toward her neck. The procedure dragged on for hours. At one point, Keaghan—brave and exhausted—told the doctors, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.”

Finally, the team decided to begin the first IV dose of chemotherapy using the misplaced PICC line until her lung healed enough for a new one. On December 5, 2022, just two days after arriving at Chambersburg Hospital, Keaghan was officially diagnosed with T-cell leukemia. That night, she began chemotherapy.

A Family’s New Normal

The first week at Hershey was a blur of fear, hope, and exhaustion. Bryan even got stuck in a broken elevator while bringing coffee back to Keaghan’s room—a small mishap in the middle of chaos. Ironically, just weeks later, the smell of coffee made Keaghan sick, forcing her parents to drink it only in the lobby before coming to her bedside.

Keaghan was released from the hospital just before Christmas and spent the holidays at home. But after New Year’s, she caught COVID-19 and was readmitted. Still, her treatments were going well. When her doctors warned that she might lose her hair, Keaghan took control of the situation—deciding to shave her head herself. She even asked to donate her hair to make a wig for another child fighting cancer.

Between treatments, Keaghan made the best of hospital life. She was often under room quarantine due to frequent infections like rhinovirus, but when she was allowed out, she loved playing Uno and running her “nail salon” at the nurse’s station. Her courage and humor brightened the floor.

A Complication and a Miracle

By April 2023, Keaghan’s bone marrow biopsy showed the best possible news—she was in remission. But just two days later, her celebration was cut short. She began having extreme fevers and pain, and an X-ray revealed something in her lungs. A CT scan confirmed a large nodule on her lung. A biopsy confirmed it was Aspergillosis, a dangerous fungal infection rarely seen in patients who hadn’t undergone bone marrow transplants.

Doctors offered two treatment options—one powerful but risky, the other safer but hard on the liver and kidneys. Her parents chose the second. But by May, the infection wasn’t shrinking. The team faced an impossible choice: stop chemo and risk relapse or attempt a risky lung surgery. They found a surgeon willing to operate, and after the procedure, the doctor confirmed they’d made the right call. The mass had been too hard for medication to penetrate.

With surgery complete, Keaghan was finally able to take the strongest antifungal medication safely via IV port daily. Within a month, the remaining lung masses had disappeared or shrunk. For a year and a half, she stayed on antifungal meds to ensure the infection didn’t return—though the medicine took a toll on her liver and kidneys.

In October 2024, she finally stopped taking them. In April 2025, she took her last chemotherapy doses, and her port was removed. On May 19, 2025, surrounded by family and nurses who had become friends, Keaghan rang the bell—signaling the end of treatment.

A Community United

Throughout their journey, the Faulders never felt alone. From the start, Four Diamonds supported them financially and emotionally, covering anything insurance didn’t and offering help even when their car broke down. Through Four Diamonds, Keaghan was paired with the Penn State Figure Skating team and attended THON 2025 with them.

Walking into the Bryce Jordan Center, the family was overwhelmed by the sea of white during Pep Rally and the roar of 16,000 students cheering for every child and family. Bryan recalled, “Seeing everyone come together like that—it was eye-opening.”

During Family Hour, they cried, smiled, and held hands with others who had walked the same path. When Keaghan saw a video tribute to a friend Dakota, another Four Diamonds child who had passed away, she whispered a soft goodbye.

They ended THON Weekend with Go Go Gadjet performing live—the crowd’s energy shaking the entire arena. Keaghan’s favorite part was dyeing her hair blue with her Figure Skating team. For THON 2026, she plans to dye it purple and record her experience for her YouTube channel, @KeaghanStrong08.

Giving Back

Even during her treatment, Keaghan wanted to help others. She used a 3D printer to make animal figurines for every nurse on her floor, with help from her dad during the night shifts. Later, she donated a new 3D printer to Hershey Children’s Hospital so other kids could find joy during long hospital stays.

Since her diagnosis, the Faulders have turned their gratitude into action. Every year, they organize a massive holiday toy drive, filling their living room with gifts for Penn State Health

Children’s Hospital. They also create Valentine’s Day Mailboxes, Boo Buckets for Halloween, and Christmas-Room-in-a-Bag kits to help hospital families decorate their rooms for the holidays. Their Facebook page, @KeaghanStrong, continues to share updates and rally community support.

The Road Ahead

Now in fourth grade, Keaghan is thriving. She loves art and golf, and she dreams of becoming a pediatric oncology nurse—a “nurse for cancer kids,” as she puts it. She hopes to combine her love for art with therapy to help others heal.

Keaghan still visits Hershey every month for checkups and blood draws, her brunette hair growing longer with each visit. She’s already planning to donate it again—this time, on stage during THON Weekend.

When asked what advice she has for other families, she smiles and says to ask for Pilot, the service dog she bonded with in the hospital. One day, she hopes to train her own dog, Alfred, to bring comfort to kids like her.

Her dad, Bryan, adds softly, “Don’t give up. Stay strong. Stay positive. Take one day at a time—and enjoy the good days.”