GARDNER, Mass.  —Tammy Keck religiously attended the early morning 5:15 a.m. class at CrossFit 696 every day, but a recent medical diagnosis threw a wrench into her schedule.

“I had a medical emergency at home,” she said. “I couldn’t digest food, I couldn’t swallow.”

When she underwent surgery in June, doctors found that the 62-year-old woman had Stage 3 ovarian cancer. The diagnosis came as a shock to Keck and her tight-knit community at CrossFit 696 on West Broadway Street. 

“She has taken very good care of her health,” said Matt Cali, co-owner of CrossFit 696 within Fitness Concepts Health Club. Keck has been a regular member of Cali’s gym for 14 years.

“I want to do everything we can to help her through this,” he said. “I lost my mom to ovarian cancer last February.”

Cali started a GoFundMe called “Tammy’s Road to Recovery” to help Keck pay for her medical expenses. So far, the page has raised $4,847. The goal is $5,000.

“[I am] very overwhelmed, way more than I could ever have imagined that everybody has pulled through for me,” said Keck. “It’s heartwarming to see that so many people have donated as much as they have.”

In addition to the GoFundMe page, Cali held an hour-long bootcamp fundraiser on Aug. 7.

“Tammy loves high intensity cardiovascular programming and though she can’t be part of it at this time we wanted to do a workout in her name to commemorate the journey and struggle that she’s facing,” said Cali.

To make a donation, visit the GoFundMe page here.