Keegan Schnell

2024 Beneficiary

Keegan Schnell is the son of Jer and Jodi Schnell and brother to Makenna. They are lifelong residents of the Lynnville-Sully community. Keegan, now completing his freshman year at Lynnville-Sully, is active in cross country, track, and band. He has a passion for history, world geography, gaming, and drumming. The Schnell family attends Lynnville Friends Church, where Keegan participates in the FOCUS youth group led by his parents for over 20+ years.

Keegan has always been a strong, healthy, fun-loving kid, and most adults would throw in the word polite. Last summer, he was diligently logging in his cross-country miles, excited to start the season. No more had the season started when he began having stomach pains. After several trips to the ER and extensive scans, the cause remained elusive, initially suggesting possible constipation—a puzzling diagnosis given his lack of prior GI issues. He missed a few critical weeks of practice as the season officially kicked off, but the pain eventually went away, and Keegan was back to running with the team and improving his times. On October 2, Keegan finished a strong cross-country race with no problems but developed severe stomach pains later that night, which required medical attention. He was eventually life-flighted to the University of Iowa Hospitals, where doctors discovered his small intestine had twisted, forming a blood clot in the main artery of his small intestine, which cut off blood flow. This condition caused his small intestine to die, leading to sepsis. Keegan bravely endured multiple surgeries during his 37-day hospital stay.

Keegan continued to heal at home and gradually worked his way back to school, where the administration and staff were super helpful in forming a plan to get him caught up. He also adapted to receiving IV nutrition and hydration through a central line inserted in his chest. Normally, the small intestine spans 18-21 feet and absorbs nutrients. However, with only 18 inches of functioning intestine remaining and an additional 18 inches disconnected and healing post-trauma, Keegan relies on TPN (total parenteral nutrition) for nutrients. This involves 12-hour daily infusions delivered through battery-operated pumps that he carries in a backpack.

Keegan underwent a scheduled surgery on Feb. 23 with the intention of reconnecting the remaining sections of his small intestine to his colon. However, during the procedure, surgeons discovered that one 18” section had scarred over, leaving only the other 18” section functional. They were not able to do the procedure as they had hoped, but the Schnells were grateful Keegan’s medical team had another plan. The small intestine can naturally adapt over several years. Keegan started a daily injection called Gattex, which is meant to speed up that adaptation so that he can absorb more nutrients. It is unknown how long it will take to see the benefits of the injection. The goal is to eventually have him less dependent on IV nutrition and a future surgery to try again to reconnect his small intestine to his colon. The timing could be a year to several years.

Keegan has big goals, but through his faith and strength that comes from his relationship with the Lord, along with the support of his family, friends, community, and a phenomenal medical team, it will be exciting to see where this journey takes him. His ability to return to track, which can be seen as nothing short of miraculous, is inspiring, and he plans to embark on a summer mission trip and resume cross-country in the fall. When questioning why or how this could have happened, some people are born with extra small intestines, sometimes it can have a more flexible makeup, making it more prone to twist, but typically this is in older people. In Keegan’s case, there simply are no definitive answers. The official medical term is Short Bowel Syndrome, and it’s estimated that 10,000-20,000 people in the U.S. have this condition brought on by a variety of scenarios. The Schnell’s continue to rely on their faith that God has a reason and will use it to bring glory to Him through whatever the circumstance.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6