On Saturday, you might see Pembroke resident Donald Kiltz walking around Statesboro, carrying a large orange cross on his shoulders.

While the obvious message is to promote Christianity, Kiltz has a more personal reason for lugging the 5-by-6-foot cross for 24 hours around Statesboro’s perimeter. He said God “put it on his heart” to do so to raise awareness and funds for a local woman fighting breast cancer.

Shana Carnes is the mother of three young daughters and is married to Joseph Carnes. She is a registered nurse and a veteran, has been working three jobs and recently lost both breasts to cancer. Since finding a painful lump in her breast in March, she has undergone surgery, chemotherapy and other treatment and is unable to work while being treated. Her husband is a handyman, and making ends meet has proven difficult for the family, she said.

That’s where Kiltz hopes to help. For 24 hours, from 9 a.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday, he will walk for miles, carrying the heavy cross, raising awareness of Carnes’ plight and, hopefully, prompting people to donate.

“I’d hate to guess what the cross weighs,” he said Wednesday.

 Several people have offered to walk with him and carry the cross when he tires, and his wife, Rita, will follow his path in a car in case of emergency.

Kiltz wants people to pledge a certain amount of money per hour, or simply donate what they are able.

He met Joseph Carnes a few years ago when his ministry, T.L.W? (The Lord’s Where?) held a fundraiser. Carnes, a Christian musician, applied to participate in the event, and the families have kept in touch through the ministry since, Kiltz said.

Kiltz learned about Shana Carnes’ cancer about a month ago and said God moved him to take action.

He usually walks with the cross once a month to promote Christianity and his mission, but this time, he hopes doing so can take things a step further.

“When you talk about the Lord, you talk about how he carries our burdens,” Kiltz said.

The fight against the disease hasn’t been easy, Shana Carnes said.

She discovered the lump just weeks after starting a new job at East Georgia Regional Medical Center in the critical care unit. She also was teaching online classes for Ogeechee Technical College and working part-time at Willingway, all while being a mom to the girls and a wife to Joseph Carnes.

The news hit hard, she said.

“I have a family history of breast cancer. Both of my grandmothers had it, as well as a great aunt,” she said. “My maternal grandmother actually got it twice and ended up dying from it. But still, I’m 37 years old. Who gets breast cancer at 37?”

When Carnes went for a mammogram, the radiologist sent her to get an ultrasound. Then the process was repeated.

“By this time, I was freaking out. I was trying to hold it together, but I knew something was very wrong,” she recalled. “The radiologist came in, very somber, and stated that there were suspicious findings and the lump needed to be biopsied. I knew that was a possibility, but he didn’t act like the results would be benign. By this time, I was bawling.”

But when she went to learn the results of the biopsy, Carnes said, her faith kicked in to calm her.

“I wasn’t nervous. I felt peace. No matter what the outcome, I knew that God was in control,” she said. “The doctor came in, shared a few pleasantries and just blurted out, ‘Well, we got the results back, and it’s cancer.’

“My friend burst out in tears. I gasped … but was in shock,” she said.

When Carnes had a bilateral mastectomy in June, “several of the surgical staff, including my surgeon, came into my room, and we all prayed,” she said. “It was such a comforting feeling to know that my surgical team shared in my beliefs.”

The surgery to remove both breasts was successful, but she still had to undergo chemotherapy.

“I’ve really been OK with not having breasts. After all, they tried to kill me,” she said.

She hoped she could work while undergoing treatment, but that hasn’t worked out. Her first treatment sent her to the intensive care unit for five days.

“My hopes of working were not to be realized,” she said. “There was no way to guarantee that I would feel well enough to even be able to contribute the time needed to teach online. This was devastating for our family.”

Kiltz hopes his walk Saturday will raise enough funds to help the Carneses make it until Shana is able to work again. All proceeds will go directly to the Carnes family.

Donations and pledges may be made directly to the family or through the T.L.W? ministry. Anyone interested may donate in person when they see him carrying the cross or may call Kiltz at (912) 665-0240.

He will begin walking at 9 a.m., leaving Starbucks on Northside Drive East, traveling northwest and crossing North Main Street. He will walk to Veterans Memorial Parkway, then take a left, travel back to KFC and then Starbuck’s and will continue the same path for 24 hours.

He is adamant that the focus of the walk remain on Shana Carnes.

“It isn’t about me,” Kiltz said.

For more information about the T.L.W? ministry, visit the group’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TlwMinistry.

Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.