INDY Foundation: Connecting through Cancer

INDY Foundation
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Welcome to the INDY Foundation: Connecting Through Cancer hosted by Kayla Keenan, founder of INDY Foundation, a non-profit located in central Minnesota. Here at INDY, we believe in supporting and connecting cancer warriors throughout their cancer journey. Our mission is to provide financial and community support to cancer warriors across Minnesota. Join us as we share inspiring stories, valuable resources and important updates to help you and your load ones navigate the challenges of cancer with strength and hope. Each episode will feature heartfelt conversations with cancer warriors, their families, and experts in the field, offering insights and encouragement for every step of the way. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

  1. 6d ago

    What Does Pink Mean to You? A Conversation About Breast Cancer Awareness Month

    Takeaways Every pink ribbon represents a real person, and our support should reach that person, not just the symbol.Not every pink campaign is pinkwashing, but it is fair to ask where the money goes, who receives it, and whether the claims are honest.Practical help like gas, groceries, bills, cleaning, or mowing a lawn can mean as much as a donation, and a card or a visit costs very little.Cancer, treatment, financial stress, and grief do not end when October does, so real support has to keep showing up all year.Summary of the Episode In this episode of INDY Foundation: Connecting Through Cancer, host Kayla Keenan looks past the color pink and asks what Breast Cancer Awareness Month really means. Every October, store shelves, sports uniforms, and social media fill with pink. Kayla honors the cause, then asks us to remember the person behind every ribbon. Kayla shares what pink means to her personally and how her view of Breast Cancer Awareness Month changed once cancer touched her life. She talks about pinkwashing, when large companies lean on the marketing side of a cause, and asks a hard question: when did raising awareness become using a cause to sell something? She is also clear that not every pink campaign is pinkwashing, and that some fund important research and services. From there, Kayla offers practical questions to ask before you buy: what is the actual donation amount, who is the recipient organization, and does the company offer meaningful support beyond the promotion? She explains how INDY Foundation has been transparent from the beginning about who it supports and how, and why everyday help with gas, groceries, bills, cleaning, or lawn care can matter so much. The episode closes with a look at what happens when October ends. Kayla talks about metastatic breast cancer, recurrence, ongoing treatment, survivor guilt, and how she personally processes grief, through a good cry in the car, prayer, and laughter. Her challenge to listeners is simple: keep showing up when the pink comes down. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

  2. Oct 20

    How to Nominate a Family for the INDY Blessing Tree

    Blessing Tree Applications/Nominations: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeg9dJQoUTOoeFf0b2RuuxQdY657f3qHx34wBtk2xiGUknJiA/viewform?usp=header Takeaways The holidays are not about presents, they are about presence, and showing up lets a cancer warrior and their family know they are not alone.A simple act of kindness can mean far more than the gift itself, because small things like a washing machine can restore a sense of purpose and joy.There are many ways to take part in the INDY Blessing Tree, from nominating a family to adopting one, wrapping gifts, or delivering them.Giving goes both ways: the families bless the community just as much as the community hopes to bless them.In this episode of INDY Foundation: Connecting Through Cancer, host Kayla Keenan talks about the holidays for families affected by cancer. While many people are thinking about gatherings, decorating, and gifts, cancer warriors and their families may be focused on getting through the day, managing pain, and attending treatments. Kayla shares how the INDY Blessing Tree began. After Kyle passed away, she wanted to do something in his honor that first Christmas. His birthday is December twenty-fourth, and he always joked he was a gift from God. The first year, she put together gift packs for families staying on the cancer floors at St. Cloud Hospital. Four years ago the campaign grew through a partnership with White Peony Boutique, taking nominations and fulfilling Christmas lists for families from all over Minnesota. Last year it reached its biggest year yet, with 17 families. She also shares stories that have stayed with her: a single mom who nominated herself so her kids could have the Christmas she wanted for them, a family that received an early Christmas during a dad's last days, a little boy thrilled with a scooter and tractors, and a mom whose wish was a washing machine. Kayla explains the many ways to get involved, including nominating a family, signing up as an individual or business, wrapping, or delivering gifts. Nominations are open now. To nominate a family, adopt a family, or learn more, visit indy-foundation.org and look for the INDY Blessing Tree page, or find the sign-up link on the INDY Foundation Facebook page. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

  3. Oct 6

    Think Pink for INDY: How Two Volunteers Built a Breast Cancer Fundraiser in St. Cloud

    Takeaways Think Pink for INDY is a free community breast cancer fundraiser on Thursday, October 15 at Legends Bar & Grill in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Every dollar raised goes to local breast cancer patients through INDY Foundation.Troy Lenarz and Brandon Voigt started with $1,800 raised in their first year and are on track to pass $60,000 in total. Their takeaway for anyone who wants to start something in their own town: if you can do something, you should do something.Showing up does not have to be a huge commitment. Brandon puts the real effort at around 10 hours, and Troy says it is probably more, and that time has already turned into support for local families, school fundraisers, and a full-circle night at the ballpark.Summary of the episode In this episode of Connecting Through Cancer, Kayla Keenan sits down with Troy Lenarz of Alliance Imaging and Regional Diagnostic Radiology and Brandon Voigt, Market President and Commercial Lender at Falcon National Bank. Together they lead Think Pink for INDY, a breast cancer fundraiser that supports local patients in Central Minnesota. Troy shares that he lost his Aunt Ellie to breast cancer and named his older daughter after her. Brandon explains why he joined: he has a wife, a daughter, and family, and he believes that if you can do something, you should do something. The two tell the story of how a chamber of commerce meeting started it all, how their first events supported a national breast cancer campaign before they brought the work home to INDY Foundation, and why they asked that the money go specifically to breast cancer patients. Kayla explains why that focus matters: close to half of INDY Foundation's nominations come from people with breast cancer, and while they are in treatment they still have to work, pay bills, and care for their families. A typical INDY check is $2,000, so a strong year at Think Pink supports around ten local patients. The conversation also covers the Pink in the Park night with the St. Cloud Rox, where last year's honorees were all breast cancer patients supported by Think Pink for INDY, and the Parade of Hope that followed. Troy and Brandon share what stays with them from working alongside honorees, how they protect their volunteer committee from burnout, and how local schools are now hosting their own events, including a Dig Pink volleyball night that raised $9,800. They close with everything you need to attend: the date, the location, the raffles, the live music, and how to help even if you only stop by for a drink. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

  4. Sep 29

    What Cancer Can't Take: Love, Memories, Laughter, and Purpose

    Takeaways Cancer takes a lot, and it is okay to say so. It still does not get to take everything, including love, memories, laughter, friendship, and purpose.Grief and joy can live side by side. You can miss someone terribly and still smile at a ridiculous memory.Feeling guilty for enjoying life again after loss is common in grief, and it can ease with time. It is okay to laugh, celebrate a birthday, and take the trip.You do not have to fix someone's situation to make a difference in it. Showing up, listening, and sitting beside them is often enough.Small acts of support, like a gas card, a grocery gift card, a comfort backpack, or a text message, can tell someone they are not walking through a cancer journey alone.Even in the middle of something you did not choose, you still get to choose what comes next.Summary of the episode As Childhood Cancer Awareness Month closes and Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, Kayla Keenan turns the usual conversation around. Instead of listing what cancer takes from patients, caregivers, and families, she asks what cancer can't take. Drawing on her own cancer journey and ten years of working with INDY Foundation, she shares a list of things that remain, and sometimes grow stronger, through hard seasons: love, memories, laughter, friendship, purpose, and community. Kayla is direct about the loss. Cancer took her husband, Kyle, along with time, energy, and security, and she says so plainly. She also talks about what it left behind: a new perspective, deeper relationships, and a strong desire to help others walking the same road. She opens up about the guilt that came with feeling joy again, including when she started dating after Kyle's death, and reminds listeners that it is okay to laugh while you are grieving. Kayla also explains how INDY Foundation puts this into practice. A gas card, a grocery gift card, a backpack filled with comfort items, or a simple text can send a message that someone is seen. She shares what she watched in Kyle's final days, when friends showed up and sat beside him without needing to fix anything, and she encourages listeners to make cancer support about the people behind the diagnosis, from siblings and parents to teachers and friends. The episode closes with a message to anyone in the middle of their own hard chapter. Cancer may change your story, but it does not get to write the whole thing. Kayla returns to Kyle's mantra, "I'm not done yet," and invites listeners to take what cancer taught them and use it to leave something beautiful behind. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

  5. Sep 22

    What Am I Leaving Behind? Legacy, Grief, and Living on Purpose After Cancer

    Takeaways Legacy starts now, not someday. The question "What am I leaving behind?" is about how you treat your kids, your friends, and the people you meet this week.Cancer sucks, and hard seasons are not gifts. They can still push you to ask who you are and who you want to be, and you get to choose what you do with what happens to you.You do not have to cure cancer to make a difference. Rides to appointments, groceries, gas, and the words "we see you" make the road less lonely and less heavy for someone in treatment.Small acts of kindness create a ripple effect. A smile, a text, or a coffee for the person behind you costs almost nothing, and you may never see where it ends up.Grief and joy can share the same room. You can miss someone desperately and still have a really good day, and neither one cancels out the other.Summary of the episode In this solo episode, the second in Kayla's Living More Like Dolly conversation, she keeps thinking about Dolly Parton's words and realizes the topic has grown bigger than one public figure. It is really about how we choose to live, what happens when life gets hard, and what we leave behind. Kayla starts with a question that cancer and grief tend to force on all of us: what will people carry forward because I was here? She is direct that cancer sucks and that there is nothing beautiful about scans, waiting rooms, or hearing a diagnosis said out loud about someone you love. From that honest starting point, she talks about the moment Kyle died, the things left unfinished, and the harder question grief raised about her own life. Not the house or the resume, but whether she loved people well and showed up. She shares how INDY Foundation grew out of that pain and why she believes you do not have to cure cancer to make a difference. The second half turns to what anyone can do. Kayla covers small acts of kindness and the ripple effect they create, why grief and joy can exist together, and how the people we lose stay with us through what they gave us. She closes with a challenge to every listener, whether they are a patient, a caregiver, someone in grief, or none of the above: do it on purpose, and leave something good behind. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

  6. Sep 15

    Living More Like Dolly: What Her Life Teaches Us About Cancer, Grief, and Hope

    Takeaways Hard seasons like cancer, grief, and loss don't ask if you're ready. The goal isn't to skip the rain and find the rainbow immediately, it's to keep walking through it one day at a time.A diagnosis, a title, or a hard season can become part of your story, but it doesn't get to become your entire story.Legacy isn't built through one giant act. It's built through small, consistent things: a text, a meal, a phone call, a foundation, a message someone remembers nine years later.You don't have to pretend a painful season is a gift or find a silver lining in every hard moment. Some things are just really, really hard, and that's allowed.Kindness is often the thing people remember longest. The smallest gestures, a text, a hug, a "you don't have to go through this alone," can carry someone through an entire day.Summary of the episode In this solo episode, Kayla reflects on the recent passing of Dolly Parton and what her life and words teach us about walking through cancer, grief, and hard seasons of any kind. Rather than a celebrity tribute, this episode uses Dolly's own quotes as a framework for something Kayla has lived through firsthand: losing her husband Kyle, building a life and a foundation in the years since, and connecting with thousands of people navigating their own cancer journeys. Kayla walks through several of Dolly's most well-known lines, "if you want the rainbow, you've gotta put up with the rain," "find out who you are and do it on purpose," and "storms make trees take deeper roots," and connects each one to what it actually feels like to sit in a hospital room, wait on scan results, or grieve someone you love while the rest of the world keeps moving. She's honest that living more like Dolly doesn't mean forcing positivity or pretending a hard season is secretly a gift. It means choosing kindness, humor, and gratitude where you can, and giving yourself permission to have the days where none of that feels possible. The episode closes on the idea of legacy, not as something reserved for the end of life, but as something built daily through the way we treat people. Kayla ties this back to Kyle, to the nine-year anniversary messages she still receives from people who remember him, and to the community INDY Foundation has built around exactly this kind of small, consistent showing up for one another. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

  7. Sep 8

    Scheduling Fun, Setting Boundaries, and Other Forms of Self-Care [Joy Mini-Series Replay]

    Takeaways Scheduling joy on your calendar with the same seriousness as a work meeting makes it far more likely to actually happen.Saying no isn't rude or selfish. It's a form of self-care that protects the time and energy you have for what matters most.Joy changes with every season of life. What brought you happiness in your 20s can look completely different in your 30s or 40s, and that's normal.Building a personal joy inventory, a running list of what actually makes you happy, gives you something concrete to reach for when life feels heavy.You don't need anyone's permission to prioritize your own happiness. You just need to start small and put it on the calendar.Summary of the episode This episode is a replay, bringing together Kayla's full three-part miniseries on joy from earlier this year into one place for a fall reset. It kicks off with the case for treating joy like an obligation instead of an afterthought. Kayla walks through why she blocks off her calendar for fun the same way she'd block off a work meeting, why she thinks people who let vacation days go unused are making a mistake, and how a Mental Health Awareness Month lens shapes the way she thinks about prioritizing happiness. From there, the series moves into the art of saying no. Kayla gets personal about her own history with FOMO, tracing it back to going to work at sixteen years old and spending most of her twenties saying yes to everything out of guilt or obligation. She reframes saying no as a direct act of self-care, offers a few practical ways to say it gracefully, and lands on a line that carries through the rest of the series: every no is a yes to yourself. The final piece is about figuring out what actually brings you joy in the first place, since it's hard to prioritize something you haven't named. Kayla breaks joy down into four categories, creative, physical, social, and relaxation, and walks listeners through building a joy inventory they can return to whenever life feels heavy. Even though this show is built around cancer and caregiving, the message underneath all three episodes is one Kayla comes back to often: joy isn't something you earn after everything else is handled. It's part of how you get through the hard stuff in the first place. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

  8. Sep 1

    Signs From Heaven, Part Three: How a Puppy Named Indy Found Us

    Takeaways Signs from someone you've lost don't have to be dramatic to be meaningful. Sometimes it's a coincidence you can't shake, not a feather or a dream.Bringing new joy into your life, whether it's a new pet, a new chapter, or a new love, doesn't replace what or who you lost. It adds to the story instead of erasing it.Grief and joy aren't opposites. They can exist in the same house, sometimes in the same hour.You don't need anyone else to believe something was a sign for it to be true for you.Paying attention to specific details, like a name, a place, or a date, is often what turns an ordinary moment into something that feels like a message.Summary of the episode In the final installment of the Signs From Heaven series, Kayla shares the story of how a puppy named Indy found her way into her family, months after they lost their 13-year-old lab, Max. What started as a passing thought after seeing a photo of an available puppy turned into a chain of small, specific coincidences: the puppy's birthday on the Fourth of July, a breeder's phone number that showed up as Hallock, Minnesota, the exact town where Kayla's late husband Kyle once worked on the pipeline, and a personality video showing Indy as the bravest, first-out-of-the-litter puppy of the group. Kayla walks through the decision itself, the wait list, the deposit she almost didn't put down, and the moment she knew she had to say yes, while being honest about what the choice actually looked like: very little sleep, a few accidents, and a daily moment of "what did we just do." She holds space for both the chaos of a new puppy and the deeper reason it felt meaningful, without ever pretending the two cancel each other out. The episode closes out the three-part Signs series with the show's clearest statement yet on what these moments are and are not. Kayla is upfront that she can't prove any of it, and she's not trying to. She offers a way of thinking about signs as personal rather than universal, and a reminder that new joy after loss doesn't undo what came before. It just adds another chapter. Key Topics Covered: The origin story of how the puppy Indy joined the familyGrief after losing a longtime family petSigns from a loved one who has passed awayHow new joy and grief can coexist without contradictionWrapping up a three-part series on signs and meaning after lossINDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

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Welcome to the INDY Foundation: Connecting Through Cancer hosted by Kayla Keenan, founder of INDY Foundation, a non-profit located in central Minnesota. Here at INDY, we believe in supporting and connecting cancer warriors throughout their cancer journey. Our mission is to provide financial and community support to cancer warriors across Minnesota. Join us as we share inspiring stories, valuable resources and important updates to help you and your load ones navigate the challenges of cancer with strength and hope. Each episode will feature heartfelt conversations with cancer warriors, their families, and experts in the field, offering insights and encouragement for every step of the way. INDY is short for "I'm Not Done Yet," a phrase often said by the late Kyle Strand during his courageous battle with colon cancer. Kyle's four-year journey was both extremely challenging and profoundly beautiful. Though he lost his battle in July 2017, his legacy lives on through his two dying wishes: to establish the INDY Foundation and to inspire others to live every day to its fullest. In August 2017, the INDY Foundation was born, continuing Kyle's mission to support and uplift cancer warriors everywhere. Find more information here: www.indy-foundation.org Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ImNotDoneYetMN Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/indyfoundation/ Join our INDY Tribe - Inner Circle FB Group. A group for those affected by cancer. https://www.facebook.com/groups/202854020588761

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