Kelly Leipold, wife of KU football coach, hopes to help others after cancer diagnosis
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kelly Leipold announced a breast cancer diagnosis and urged early detection.
- The Leipolds launched a $50,000 matching fund to supply mobile mammograms.
- Kelly cited her Sept. 22 diagnosis and family history to motivate screenings.
The Kansas Jayhawks football season hasn’t gone as well as some had hoped, but the wins and losses are secondary to what is happening in the life of coach Lance Leipold and his family.
Leipold’s wife, Kelly, revealed Sunday in a social media post that she has breast cancer.
“No one ever wants to hear the words,” Kelly Leipold wrote on X. “Thank you to KU Med for their wonderful care as I proceed with treatment. Early detection is key! If my story can help one woman get the mammogram she has been unable to obtain, then it was well worth what I am going through. @CoachLeipold and I ask for your help in helping those that can’t obtain services get them. Please join us!
“Please keep our family in your prayers as we proceed with treatment. We appreciate all the love and support”
Leipold included a link to a fundraising page where people can donate to help women get a mammogram.
A message on that page said “the Leipolds are offering $50,000 in matching funds to the Masonic Cancer Alliance, the outreach arm of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, helping women in need receive life-saving screenings by offering mobile mammograms across Kansas and the greater Kansas City area.”
Leipold revealed she was diagnosed on Sept. 22, and that Lance Leipold’s mother died of breast cancer in 1998.
“If sharing my story encourages even one woman to get screened and catch something early,” Kelly Leipold said in a quote on the fundraising page, “then sharing my story has served its mission.”
Landon Leipold, the son of Kelly and Lance, reposted his mother’s message and wrote: “The strongest woman I know.”
