Benton County sheriff battles ultimate foe: cancer

An iPhone rested inches from Steve Keane as a cocktail of chemotherapy drugs flowed into his veins.

The phone always stays close to the Benton County sheriff when he undergoes several hours of treatment every other week for stage 3 colon cancer at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in Kennewick.

The emails, calls and texts Keane receives help him stay connected to the day-to-day happenings at the sheriff’s office, the department he has been elected to run twice since 2010.

Despite having surgery to remove more than a foot of his large intestine and being left painfully nauseous for days by the chemo, Keane has missed little work.

“I feel like I have to go to work every day,” he said. “I feel like I have to be there. I have a responsibility.”

The 53-year-old received the cancer diagnosis Aug. 6 after his fourth colonoscopy. A doctor told Keane the prognosis was good because the cancer had been detected early.

Keane was optimistic about the initial stage 1 diagnosis, and not having to do chemo. Stage 1 cancers typically haven’t spread in the body.

The sheriff soon met with a specialist to discuss removing the cancer from his sigmoid colon, a section of the large intestine. The surgery took place Aug. 21, and Keane was back at work a few days later, and even took a trip to Disneyland shortly afterward. Meanwhile, doctors tested the cancerous section of Keane’s colon to determine how aggressive the cancer was, Keane said.

Tests showed it had spread to three lymph nodes.

“That was a game changer,” Keane said. “That changed it from stage 1 to stage 3.”

He spent all night researching what he was up against.

Doctors told Keane they were confident they had removed all of the cancer during surgery, but they said he would have to spend the next six months doing chemotherapy to ensure the cancer had not spread. He also learned there is a 40 percent chance the cancer could return.

Keane and his wife, Diane, who own the Kid Zone Daycare in Richland, decided initially only to share the diagnosis with close friends and family, including the couple’s three children, ages 24, 27 and 30.

Keane — a self-admitted adrenaline junkie who is into martial arts and motorcycle racing — said he knew he would be able to deal with any pain that came with cancer treatment. Balancing being sick and worn down from treatment with work caused him the most concern.

However, as the chemo has progressed, Keane has figured out how to manage the side effects so he can continue to run the sheriff’s department.

“It really hasn’t affected my work too much,” he said.

Keane, a former Air Force nuclear weapons specialist, has leaned on his command staff, including best friend Undersheriff Jerry Hatcher, to assist with administrative duties while he is out of the office.

The sheriff, who is now more than halfway done with his chemo, usually goes into the office early in the morning and works from home later in the afternoon, when he starts to feel run down, he said. Other than bad nausea, the treatment also drains Keane’s energy at times and has caused some nerve issues in his fingertips.

Keane has stayed involved in major investigations since his diagnosis, including the high-profile kidnapping of an elderly Kennewick woman and a recent shooting involving a deputy.

“He’s such a strong guy and wants to do everything,” said Diane Keane, sitting next to her husband, like she has for all of his chemo treatments, at the cancer center.

As word of the sheriff’s diagnosis has trickled out, the Keanes say the outpouring of support from not only the sheriff’s office, but also the community, has been moving. Keane regularly receives cards and well wishes from citizens.

And some even stop by to offer help any way they can.

“We have just been overwhelmed with people who want to help,” the sheriff said. “One lady brought in ginger because she knew I was nauseous.”

The diagnosis hasn’t changed Keane’s outlook, he said. He has always relied on his faith, family and optimistic attitude to get through life’s struggles.

Keane is scheduled to be done with chemo at the end of February and plans to take a vacation to celebrate being cancer free.

He is is hopeful he’ll never have to go through chemo again. The sheriff is also confident cancer won’t cut his life short.

“I had to go through this for some reason, but I know it’s not going to be what kills me,” he said.

Sitting in the private room at the cancer center, getting closer to the end of another round of chemo, a smile spreads across Keane’s face as he informed his wife he wanted to wake up at dawn to shovel any snow that might fall on the day care’s sidewalk.

Keane refused to call someone else to do the job, and was adamant his wife shouldn’t have to pick up the shovel.

When asked how she plans to keep her husband from waking up at 5 a.m. and overexerting himself, Diane Keane was quick to answer.

“You can’t,” she says. “He’s the sheriff.”

This story was originally published December 25, 2015 at 7:07 PM with the headline "Benton County sheriff battles ultimate foe: cancer."