Former Manatee High football player opens up about mom’s cancer diagnosis

This Saturday, Marshall senior defensive end and former Manatee High School standout Blake Keller won’t be able to look up into the stands and see his parents.

During the final regular-season opener of his college career, his mother, Linda, will be undergoing tests to see if her cancer has spread, Keller told HerdZone.com.

Keller said his 54-year-old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer near the beginning of Marshall’s preseason camp, HerdZone.com reported.

She had surgery in August. Keller, a self-confessed “mamma’s boy,” said it has been scary and is on his mind every day.

“I wake up and it’s on my mind. It hasn’t been easy, but she’s a really strong person. She has high spirits, which definitely makes me feel better about the situation,” Keller told HerdZone.com.

His mother, Keller said, means everything to him.

“She was always at every game, every practice. She’s pretty much the person I go to for everything,” he told HerdZone.com.

Now, the family is encouraging others to get regular breast cancer exams; it was what led to Linda’s diagnosis, HerdZone.com reported.

Keller also told HerdZone.com he plans to pay tribute to his mom during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Former Manatee High football player opens up about mom’s cancer diagnosis."