Related Articles
Since the beginning of last year, country musician Toby Keith has undergone chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery to treat the stomach cancer he was diagnosed with in 2021. After a full year and a half, the singer shared a hopeful update about his recovery but acknowledged that he isn’t completely out of the woods yet.
“I’m feeling pretty good. Basically, everything is in a real positive trend,” Keith told The Oklahoman during an interview at his annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Tournament earlier this month, adding: “You never know with cancer, so you have to prepare.”
The 61-year-old musician explained that it’s “pretty debilitating to have to go through all that” but also revealed that he was, at that time, eight weeks away from his last scan. “I expect next time I look for that tumor to be even less — and I’ve only got one that’s shown up.”
And Keith is hopeful enough to be preparing to perform full-length shows again. “I’ve got more wind,” he said. “And I’m thinking about bringing the band in and setting up, playing two or three days somewhere just to see if I can get through two hours.”
His live return is contingent upon his ability to maintain his energy for that long, but if he can make it work, he plans to be back on stage as early as this fall.
“All I gotta do is see if I can get through two or three nights of work and get a little break in this chemo, and we’ll go back to work,” Keith explained. “I’m ready. That’s living.”
