Roy Keane’s daughter has opened up on her battle with lupus with the Manchester United legend supporting her through it. Caragh Keane is one of the Sky Sports pundit’s five children.
But she has experienced a difficult few years after developing lupus. It is not contagious, instead it’s an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues.
The exact cause is unknown, but a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors are believed to play a role. The 29-year-old developed the incurable disease back in the summer of 2021.
She began suffering blisters on her fingers and toes, with a dermatologist diagnosing her with chilblains, despite the warm weather. Keane also began suffering with fatigue and even struggled to stay awake while driving or having a haircut.
She was also afflicted with joint pain, forcing her to reject her dream job as a primary school teacher, and hair loss, with her hair falling out in clumps. After hitting what she describes as ‘rock bottom’ Keane was eventually diagnosed with lupus and her recovery began.
“There is no single test for the autoimmune condition, however various markers in the blood can point towards it. All of these were present in my system. Before my diagnosis, I had only heard about lupus because of Selena Gomez, who discovered she had the disease in 2013,” Keane told The Sun.
“I was clueless about the details and, with no definitive cause, I went down a Google rabbit hole for answers. I found horror stories of organ issues and people becoming reliant on immunosuppressants, such as chemotherapy medication.
“My dad is the most supportive person, and my mum Theresa is super-positive, too, which stopped me spiralling. I’ll never be cured, but I manage lupus with supplements, diet and lifestyle. It’s a work in progress, and I occasionally get flare-ups, which mean hair loss and pain.”
Keane works to prevent flare-ups, changing her diet, working to alleviate stress and curtailing playing competitive sports. Since making steps in her recovery, Caragh has launched a healthy foods company.
The business focuses on selling organic and healthy food products to the public. Her father was instrumental in getting it off the ground, with the former United skipper providing financial and moral support.
He told the Stick to Football podcast in a joint appearance with Caragh: “When you started you asked me to support you, I said ‘Yeah go for it girl’.”.
He then humorously described their business meeting: “Can I have some money daddy? That was the business meeting!”
The football legend showed his generosity, adding: “I said yeah, take it, whatever you need. It was more than what I thought to get a company up and running, it’s been hard work.”
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