A Mesa resident competing in the Fab Over 40 charity competition has made it to the semifinals and is looking for help from the community.
Keah Tucker, 42, is participating in the contest that sees women aged 40 and older compete against each other to see who is the most fabulous out of thousands of entrants, all while raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
The contest is in the semifinals with 14 groups and 252 participants in total remaining. The top vote-getter from each group moves on to the final 14, according to Tucker. Tucker is 12th in her group, but needs to be in first place before voting closes at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 to advance to the finals.
The contest winner receives $40,000, a spa-cation, and a cover feature on NewBeauty magazine.
Tucker, who is studying to get into medical school, hopes to use the prize money on tuition so she can achieve her dream of becoming a child psychiatrist if she wins.
Tucker has been married for nine years and has two children. She has worked at a behavioral health center in the Valley for the past seven years. But things weren’t always so smooth. Tucker struggled with drug and alcohol addiction from age 18 to 31, and if not for a religious reawakening thanks to her husband, she may not be where she is today.
“I met my husband, who at the time was my boyfriend, who went to church every Sunday,” Tucker said. “He got me to go with him and it helped me reconnect with God. Having him back in my life again, I was able to stop using drugs and stop drinking. That reconnection gave me the strength to get over my addiction.”
For Tucker, entering this competition is about more than winning. She wants to use her story to set an example for her peers that life doesn’t need to slow down for women entering their 40s.
“There’s still so much out there that you can do. I’m about to start medical school, and when I was growing up, that was unheard of for women at that age,” Tucker said. “I want other women to see that you can be 40, 50 or even 60 and go back to school, and it’s not taboo.”
Tucker also wants to set an example for her two young daughters as well as help support breast cancer research, something that her family on her husband’s side is all too familiar with.
“This would be a great experience to boost my confidence and show my girls that you can do anything you put your mind to,” Tucker said. “On my husband’s side of the family, nearly all of the women have had breast cancer, so I can spread the word and raise money for the foundation.”
Tucker said she believes her participation in so many different aspects of life, whether it be as a student, a mother, a worker, or a woman of faith, makes her an ideal candidate for this award. Regardless of how it turns out, Tucker wants to win with humility or lose with grace to set a good example for her kids.
And at the end of the day, Tucker wants women her age to follow some important advice.
“Wear sunscreen,” Tucker said. “But also never give up, and always have confidence and self-respect. You’re never too old to start over.”
Fans can vote for Tucker once for free and can purchase additional votes by donating to the National Breast Cancer Foundation at https://fabover40.org/2025/keah-3e7d.
After graduating from Arizona State University's Cronkite School in spring 2022, Connor Van Ligten spent a little over year as a reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans before finding themselves back in Phoenix in October of 2023. Now back in the Valley and writing for the Mesa Independent and the Daily Independent, Connor is ready to tell meaningful stories and report on important civic issues facing Mesa. Connor is a big fan of the 49ers, Warriors, pro wrestling, anime, dogs and fighting video games.
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