Keran Villis Is Turning Pain Into Purpose
More than once, Keran Villis was told she’d die. Instead, she kept moving.
On the weekend, she completed a 28km section of Walk The Yorke on crutches after losing her leg and hip to cancer.
Joined by two of her personal training clients, Keran tackled the Hardwicke Bay to Port Rickaby leg of the charity walk.
While others walked long stretches along the beach, Keran had to carefully navigate the changing terrain on crutches.
For Keran, walking has never just been exercise.
It became a way to cope through childhood trauma, domestic violence, cancer, the loss of her leg and more hospital stays than most people could imagine.
And through every setback, she kept finding herself returning to one thing that helped clear her mind and keep her moving forward.
A Life Changed By Cancer
After escaping domestic violence and relocating herself and her children to Queensland for a fresh start, Keran was diagnosed with chondroblast osteosarcoma in her pelvis in 2014.
The aggressive cancer led to the amputation of her left hip and leg, followed by months of chemotherapy and repeated hospital stays.
Just two weeks after her amputation, Keran told her surgeon she wanted to organise a fundraising walk for a six-year-old boy named Raamah, who was battling brain cancer.
“He was less than supportive,” Keran said.
“I told him, ‘I will be doing this.’”
Sadly, by December that year, she was critically ill and flown back home to Berri Hospital by the RFDS for what doctors expected would be her final Christmas.
But she defied the odds, and four years later completed the walk from Loxton to Berri in honour of Raamah who had unfortunately passed away before the event at just 10 years old.
She says his courage became one of the reasons she kept fighting herself.
Finding Direction Again
In 2020, at the height of Covid, Keran was dealt another devastating blow.
Doctors told her the cancer had spread to her lung and without surgery to remove part of it, she had just three months to live.
“With the lack of care, support and empathy and the many near-death experiences, I fell into deep severe depression,” Keran said.
But she pulled on her sneakers.
“How I decided to tackle these massive hurdles was to get back to walking, fundraising and setting monthly challenges, which helped me regain a sense of direction.”
Pushing Through The Pain
These days, Keran is a qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer, with a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing.
She said completing Walk The Yorke alongside her clients brought them closer, allowing them to witness firsthand the physical and mental challenges she pushes through every day.
Pain remains a constant. “The lactic acid builds up in my wrists and the pain sets in, but you have to get your head around it,” she said.
“You need to put any personal issues aside, focus and just keep moving.”
“We got bogged in bushes, the seaweed was up to our knees and it was wet, slushy and stinking,” she said.
“But we did it.”
And by the end of it, all she wanted was a much-needed coffee.
Forget medals or fancy recovery treatments. While waiting at the Port Rickaby Caravan Park café for her well deserved brew, Keran spotted ice built up inside the ice cream freezer and asked if she could stick her aching hands inside it for relief.
“My wrists and hands were burning from pain, but honestly, it was the best recovery ever,” she laughed.
Not a bad result either, with just one blister on her palm and one on her heel after the massive walk.
Her Next Challenge
“While there is no cure for my cancer and it may be part of my life, it’s not what defines me,” she said.
“It’s given me a reason to strive, to live and provided opportunities so I can help others.”
For Keran, the Walk The Yorke fundraiser was about more than just the kilometres.
It was a chance to give something back to the RFDS, which helped her during some of the most critical moments of her health battle, while also supporting Backpacks 4 SA Kids.
Now she has set her sights on the Bravehearts 777 Marathon, which raises funds and awareness for the prevention of child sexual abuse.
The national challenge sees participants complete seven marathons in seven Australian cities across seven consecutive days, with options ranging from 7km to a full marathon.
Having survived childhood sexual abuse herself, Keran hopes to complete the 21km event this year before building toward the full 777 challenge.
People wanting to support Keran’s Walk The Yorke fundraiser and donate to the cause can still do so until the end of May.
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